The Breaking Point of Time
by Admiral Toto
Summary: Yo! The next chapters reveal the real Master Chief, the flood's new weapons, and the past of the Elite's city! Hella good story! Featuring the taming of the Hunters, Spartan's transformation and the Grunt Rebellion. R&R!
1. Eye of the Storm

**Ch.1** **The Eye of the Storm**

John surveyed his surroundings. He was in a long dark hallway that held a green mist and an awful smell. Each side had doors that led down to a bright green light. He slowly walked towards the light. Just as he passed the first door it opened, revealing a mutilated body of Captain Keyes.

" John," he moaned. " Why didn't you save me? Look what you've done to me!"

And with that last word flood poured out of his mouth and attacked John. He reached for his Battle rifle, but it wasn't there. Neither was the twin SMGs or grenades that he usually carried. He looked at his body and only saw skin. He was naked with none of his protective MLOJNIR armor.

Not knowing what else to do, he fought with his fists and his feet, crushing the slimy creatures. After eternity he finished off the last flood and continued on.

Yet, as he passed each door it would open, revealing the mutilated bodies of every person he had known. From those bodies the flood poured out and enveloped him. Though he fought them for hours, fear keeping him from tiring. Just as he had fought off a first wave, another would engulf him and attempt to take him down. As he fought, the bodies of his friends rose and slowly began to walk towards him, tentacles sprouting from their chests.

" John," they would murmur. " You should have died on Halo. You cannot escape your destiny. Come with us and join us as we break your shackles and become free!"

" No!" John would yell. " I will never become part of the flood. I am Spartan 117, Master Chief, a member of the Spartan II project. I will not succumb…I will not…"

" Die!"

Jumping out of his bed with a sudden impulse, he snatched his battle rifle and held it, his finger barely controlled from pressing the trigger. Perspiration was on his face as his heart raced. After checking to ensure there were no targets in the vicinity, he lowered his rifle. Another nightmare.

Every night he had the same nightmare. He had always been Master Chief, protected by his shielded armor and enhanced fighting skills. Yet his worst fears mixed with his past experiences had bred a new form of fear that constantly haunted him.

It had been a week since that nightmare on Halo. Master chief had been drifting in a broken covenant ship after his escape from the planet and had been picked up by a UNSC Halcyon-class Battleship named Atlanta. The ship along with two Avalon class Carriers Falcon and Diehard had been on a trajectory course towards one of the outer colonies that had requested help. A huge covenant force had landed on the colony and was wreaking havoc.

Admiral Timberlake, leader of this operation, did not want another occurrence similar to the demise of planet Reach to happen. The two Avalon-class ships had been filled with MBT Scorpion tanks, Warthogs, Pelicans and an arsenal of weapons ranging from heavy machine guns to rocket launchers. Each ship carried approximately forty personnel and sixty marines. The main battleship carried twenty personnel and thirty marines. The admiral had pulled out all the works.

Unlike regular UNSC ships, the three ships were built much differently for combat. The two huge carrier ships carried no weapons and had four thrusters. It was designed to carry a huge amount of military weapons and bring them to a rendezvous at extreme speed. The main battleship was much smaller than the carriers but heavily armed. With two small MAC guns and approximately twenty archer pods filled with missiles on both sides, it also had a mount on the top that held exactly ten high-powered rockets that had better speed and distance but not as much "punch" as the MAC bolts. They were nicknamed " mini-macs".

Master Chief hated riding in ships. Though lightly trained in the statistics and controls of various UNSC ships, he had never felt the control of power he usually felt when his he fought on ground. Yet, as a highly trained warrior he hid his discomfort and isolated himself in his chamber, cleaning out the barrel of his BR55 Battle rifle.

Just as he had finished jamming in a fresh magazine two marines entered his room. He vaguely remembered the scrawny young soldier as Robert McGee, a corporal who looked like he would wet his pants every time he saw the Master Chief. When the Master Chief had first boarded the carrier the hyperactive soldier had immediately begged him for an autograph.

At first thinking that the boy was a lunatic, the muscle-bound soldier had patted him on the head and given him one of his empty SMG magazines. The boy's yell over such a trifle gift had confirmed the Master Chief's belief that the boy had simply cracked. Unfortunately the boy had continued to pester him with overflowing adulation and constant squeals for an autograph. An empty shotgun shell was his one ticket to a bit of quiet respite.

The one next to him was a tough looking ODST named Chris Onfrey. Though nicknamed Jackhammer by his fellow ODST Hell-jumpers, Robert often liked to modify his full name to " piss on me". He cast a surly look over at the Master Chief and cracked his knuckles. The Master Chief recalled how he had engaged four of the soldiers during his workout at the gym years back. He had killed three of them and severely wounded the fourth. That episode, plus his achievements against the Covenant, conjured a mixture of hate and jealousy that most ODSTs had against him. Chris was not an exception.

" Well, well," Chris sneered, " The great Spartan. Hanging in his own room because he thinks he's too good for everyone else. Just cause you were part of that freak experiment that created all those other bastards and got those enhancements, you think you're the big man around here huh?"

Though not easily intimidated and used to many of the ODST soldiers' insults, any mention of his former comrades always struck a chord with him. Fragments littered the floor as he accidentally crushed one of the 9.5mm bullets he had been fitting into a magazine.

Though slightly intimidated by the strength that the Master Chief had used to crush the metal bullet, the ODST plunged on in his rantings against him. " I've read files about how your experiment started. Little kids abducted and trained so hard that only half of them survived. And then those freak experiments that make you so fake. You got all those powers and skills for free. And all of you still got killed on that planet Reach. Such weaklings, no wonder only one of you is still alive."

The Master Chief looked up from his work at the ODST. His muscles were screaming to charge at the men and pound him into pulp. With a few deep breaths and focus on his inner strength he slowly calmed.

" I'm sorry, I couldn't hear all that informative detail that you were telling me due to my interest on your pimple." Indeed, in the center of Chris's nose was a huge pimple. The ODST reddened in anger.

" Judging by your age, your baldness, your attitude and the pimple, I surmise that you have never gotten laid or even had a relationship with a woman. Or for the matter, even a man," stated Master Chief.

With a roar, Chris lunged for the Spartan, intending to deal out his ideal form of punishment. Without batting an eyelash, the Spartan reached back and smashed the butt of his rifle right into the ODST'S face. Blood squirted from his nostrils as his nose cracked from the impact.

" ARGH! You bitch! What the hell did you do to my nose!" screamed the Chris as he attempted to stem the flow of blood.

" Hoping that the impact popped your pimple," replied the Master Chief. " I hope I've done you a great favor by ridding you of that pimple and increasing your chances of intimacy with a woman. Or a guy."

Chris sprinted out of the room, still swearing as he headed to the medical unit. Robert, who had watched the whole exchange with his mouth open, walked over to the Spartan as he began to load rockets into his rocket launcher.

" Would this be a bad time to ask for an autograph Chief," he muttered. " If you're busy that's all right I can…"

With an audible sigh, the Spartan grabbed a broken rocket that had leaked out all its "filling" and handed it single-handedly to the marine. With a cry of glee the boy began to cheer as he slowly waddled with his heavy new present out of the room, giving constant praise and thanks as he managed to reach the stairs and slowly clamber up. His grunts and wheezes slowly receded and the Spartan went back to fixing and loading his weapons.

Just as he was finishing adding all his shells into his pump-action shotgun, the whole ship shook. Sirens began to wail as personnel and marines began to sprint across the stairs and cat walks. With amazing speed the Spartan sprinted across the docking bay and up the stairs until he reached the control room. Just as he entered, the ship vibrated.

Admiral Timberlake and a sergeant were conversing in whispered tones. Personnel were frantically scanning their computers and searching for the cause of the disturbance. Watching the screen, the Spartan's heart literally froze as he viewed the main screen.

The Covenant had found them.


	2. Graveyard of Stars

Ch.2 The Graveyard of Stars 

"Man your stations!" thundered Timberlake as he headed to his control seat. With a space navigation system, links to each one of his personnel's computer, and a computer that had access to the main hard-drive of the ship he lived up to his name as a commander. Yet, even with that notion he still felt dread as he cleared all the data to execute the main protocol. In any given situation when the humans engaged with the Covenant, they were forced to erase all data to reduce risk of the Covenant discovering Earth. Then they were supposed to type in random coordinates for a slip space jump.

" What coordinates have you given for our jump Jacob?" the admiral inquired of his navigator.

" I just plugged in all the blanks with the number 69 sir, is that suitable?" Even with his calm demeanor as he faced the admiral, Timberlake could tell that inside the mind of this man was laughter and levity. No matter in what situation, Ensign Jacob Roberts always found a way to put a little humor when chaos reigned.

" Fair enough Ensign, though I shall be reporting this behavior to your girlfriend." With a grin, he turned around to the rest of his staff. " As they always say on Christmas, it's not the spirit of getting that counts but the spirit of giving. So boys and girls, I say that instead of GETTING our asses pounded by overlarge plasma from these ugly SOBs we GIVE them a little present that should ensure that they will see the God that they've been worshipping so much. Proceed with offense now!"

With much more fervor the crew commenced with their work. Soon, the MAC guns had been fully charged and the missiles armed. The rockets had had their programming remodified to fit in the new coordinates of the enemy ships. The carriers, with much heavier armor and a light shield that the technicians on Earth had "borrowed" from the Covenant, were in a "T" position with the battleship to provide defense. Both carriers were faced perpendicular from the courses of both the battleship and their enemies with given space in between for the Battleship's weapons. Once all the missiels and MAC shots had been fired, the carriers would close the space between themselves and cover the battleship from danger as it reloaded. This strategy was to make up for the battleship's lack of suitable armor and to put the available ships to good use. The shield that the carriers produced was technology that the technicians had copied from a fallen Covenant ship, _Strength and Honor_, that had crashed on Earth's surface during a rash assault of the Covenant on their enemy's homeworld.

" All weapons are fully functional sir!" replied a tech as he finished calculating the trajectory for each of the shots.

" All right then, give it to them good!" yelled the Admiral. All hell broke loose as all the weapons were released towards the Covenant.

The admiral had known that the shields of the Covenant ships made it hard for most weaponry of normal material to penetrate them. However, after reading files on Captain Keyes' battle tactics and the effect of the MAC guns on the Covenant in their first attempt to destroy Earth he had developed a small strategy of his own with his arsenal. He had calculated the mass and speed of his Mac guns compared to Keyes and the orbital guns and had discovered that only one MAC shot and two rockets were sufficient to render the Covenant shield useless. An addition of at least five missiles would be enough to damage the ship and make it useless or destroy it. The new strategy, called Timberlake's tidal wave, would unleash the two MAC shots accompanied by two rockets and ten missiles that would split evenly and destroy two of the ships. The extra rockets were the clean up crew that demolished any ship that had survived the attack.

The two combinations streaked for their targets. The first hit went perfectly as the MAC shot erupted on the surface of the shields followed by the high-powered min-macs. The shields flickered and died just as exactly five missiles collided on its side. The subsequent explosions blew chunks of the ship that destroyed another vessel and rammed into an adjacent ship, reducing its shields significantly. The second MAC shot hit home as it collided into the center of the ship, causing the shields to flicker and immediately die out. However, the supporting rockets both missed as the ship boosted to the side of their path. Only three missiles impacted on its nose, leaving the ship weak but still operational. That is, until the two remaining rockets from the battleship ended its existence.

" Carriers!" barked the Admiral, " Put all power into the shields and give us cover! Everyone else recharge the MAC guns and reload the mini-macs and archer missiles! Our carriers are close to exploding every second. And by God I'd rather be riding high in a Scorpion tank then have to be on foot patrol!"

Frantic operators began to set the program for recharging as navigators changed the coordinates of the heat-seeking missiles. Marines were using their strength to heave missiles onto the loading pad that would transport these deadly explosives to the archer pods.

The two carriers slowly overlapped each other, giving significant cover for the battleship. A shimmer of light formed on the ships as the energy shield began to activate. And just in time.

Two huge plasma beams erupted from the huge Covenant destroyer as three smaller plasma shots accompanied them from the smaller ships. The two huge shots slammed into the Carrier's shields and it immediately disappeared, causing the ship to get damaged by the aftershock of the second blast. The other three shots collided with the other Carrier and barely left its shield intact.

" Sir!" yelled a tech. "Damage report from Carrier Falcon! Two of the main engines have been damaged and a fire has started on the lower deck. Shield generator has been destroyed. Carrier Diehard has slight dents in outer armor plate. Shield is barely intact and recharging at maximum."

" Shit!" muttered the Admiral. There heavily armored Carriers were already heavily damaged just from the first assault. He needed to act quickly.

" What's out status with our arsenal?" he yelled to Jacob.

" Five rockets have been loaded on the mount and seven missiles have been placed in their corresponding pods. MAC guns are 78 completed."

" Fire a combo of a rocket and two missiles at each of the smaller vessels. We're going to save the two MAC guns for the Destroyer."

The battle pursued as the battleship fired its load upon the Covenant ships. Two ships were immediately destroyed by the explosives while the third vessel paid dearly for dodging the pursuing missiles. A rocket slammed into its hull and caused a small explosion on its surface.

" Admiral!" yelled a navigator. " The Covenant destroyer is charging up two shots. T-minus nine seconds before impact!"

" Dammit! Order the Carriers to boost out of the way! Now!"

With turrets glowing the Covenant ship released a huge stream of concentrated plasma that flew towards the carriers. With a thrust of its seven engines the two Carriers boosted away just as the shots reached their position. The plasma continued on its path until it hit a dead star. The star exploded into small dark pieces of rock and dust.

Suddenly, the particles began to swirl in a whirlpool shape. The particles slowly began to rotate around the point, and suddenly were sucked up by the mysterious hole that opened into space.

" Oh crud, " muttered Hanson. " That is not a good sign."

" Admiral!" yelled Robert. " It's a Kerr hole! The dead star's explosion has opened a hole in space. We're going to be sucked up if we don't get out of its radius!"

" Full throttle!" barked the Admiral, but the command came to late. In just one millisecond, the whole fleet of Covenant and human ships vanished into the portal. All was quiet on the Galactic front…


	3. The Hunt

**Ch. 3 The Hunt**

Somewhere in a different time and place…

A small fission appeared in the middle of space, and from it appeared a group of three smoking ships. The dark emptiness contorted as the small hole slowly closed.

" Give me a status report!" barked the Admiral. " Where in sam hell are we?"

" No idea sir," yelled a tech as he slowly checked over his monitor. " No known planets or stars to confirm location."

" Sir!" yelled Jacob. " I've just gotten reports that both carriers have sustained even more damage during that transition. The sudden speed multiplied by their boosts already functioning has caused a huge tear in the armor. Half the engines of the carriers are damaged and the Falcon's power source is low."

" Admiral," yelled another personnel. " Our own ship has deep gashes that have penetrated through armor 1 to 3. An engine has combusted and one of the MAC guns burned while charging."

" Timberlake," growled Hanson. " I don't know shit about ships but I think it would be a good idea to find a marine's favorite turf. Ground."

" Scanning radius…" muttered Jacob. " I've got a planet on my readings sir."

" Well, let's put our asses down here," said the Admiral. " Don't wanna drift dead in space."

The three ships slowly entered the planet's atmosphere and descended on the planet. Lush valleys and streams filled the windows of the Battleship as the marines surveyed the view. Hills rolled towards green forests as a mountain jutted out miles away, a waterfall cascading from its top.

Just as the navigator yelled that they would hit a good LZ in 20 seconds, plasma fire pounded on the side of the ship. The Master Chief sprinted towards the monitor and looked down.

Three plasma cannons manned by blue Elites were bombarding their ship with fire. The Elites were on top of a small tower that scanned over the valley. As the Elites began to rotate their stationary guns to get a better angle, a missile from the Battleship streaked towards the three and blasted them into flesh and blood. Two Ghosts that had been nearby hummed to life and beat a hasty retreat.

" I'll bet you twenty bucks I know what planet this is," muttered the Sergeant as he pulled the safety off his rifle. And I sure as hell know that it ain't Mars."

The ship shook as it impacted on the soil. A cloud of smoke mixed with dirt and heat sprayed in the air as the huge Battleship and the Carriers reached a gradual halt.

" Marines!" yelled the Sergeant. " Looks like it must be my birthday. And do you know why?"

" Sir no sir!" complied the marines in unison as they cocked their rifles and stood to attention.

" God seems to have decided to 'accidentally' send his beloved marines to the Covenant planet. Now, instead of having to lay in fear of those disgusting plasma suckers we can bring the fight to them. And oh, we will ensure that we will leave our mark on this planet! I want regular diaries telling me how many kills you've stocked up a day! Any marine that gets below thirty will get KP duty. The highest killer gets ice cream. The Master Chief doesn't count," he added as he looked towards the hulking Spartan.

The docking bay doors opened as the marines piled out onto the planet. Scorpion tanks and Warthogs rolled out of the Carriers as Pelicans were flown off for reconnaissance.

" So Master Chief," said the Sergeant as he took out a huge cigar. " What's your plan of action?"

" To search and destroy," replied the Master Chief. " I'm going on a hunt."


	4. The Taming of the Hunters

Ch. 4 The Taming of the Hunters 

The group of Scorpion tanks and Warthogs rumbled along. Marines were happily chatting while a few Hell-jumpers were laughing at some of Sergeant Hanson's jokes. The Master Chief was quiet as he sat on the side of a Scorpion, surveying the terrain.

They had titled the area where the damaged ships were the HQ. A few vehicles and marines had stayed to protect the crew while a party of soldiers headed towards the near forest to scout out enemies. The Pelicans had sent reports that small bands of Covenant were patrolling the hills. What was strange was the group was only comprised of Elites and Jackals. None of the other aliens had been spotted with a patrol and that baffled the Master Chief. Why weren't the Covenant sending out their full force against the humans?

Hills protruded from the surface of the grassy and fertile land. Huge rocks and stumps were scattered across the landscape as a cool wind blew by. As they reached the peak of a hill the Spartan could see a huge forest that laid near the end of the land. Oval-shaped trees with thick trunks clustered in a huge row that ran on for miles. It was dark in the depths of this forest and the Master Chief felt the hair raise on his neck. Why were there stumps in such a desolate place? Only a living being could have cut down the tree…

Suddenly, a trio of huge green plasma bolts sailed across the air and landed one after another on a tank, immediately killing the operator and decimating the armor into scrap. More plasma followed that homed in on the other tanks, flipped over Warthogs and obliviated unfortunate Marines that had been on foot.

Protruding from the depths of the forest were gigantic walking behemoths that the humans referred to as Hunters. Unlike the blue Hunters that they had battled in their future world, these hunters were brown and had differently shaped shields and larger fuel rod guns.

" Marines!" shouted Sergeant Hanson, " Do not seek cover! Keep moving and strafing and split yourselves! These bad boys may be tough but their shots are slow, and we can dodge them. Warthogs, tell the bastard manning the turret that he better never release his finger from the trigger. I want to count at least a million shells on the ground when this battles over!"

" I assume that they're distraction so that our slow MBT Scorpions can survive and fire their shots off right?" muttered the Admiral.

" Well, duh! In medieval times the warriors fought to give the archers cover. Except our archers are firing 90mm high velocity shells that can destroy a whole battalion."

Warthogs circled the clearing as their gunners began to pelt the beasts with armor-piercing bullets. Shells littered the ground as the operators of each turret held down the trigger for maximum damage. Marines with rockets and sniper rifles began to pick out individual beasts while the rest primed and threw frag grenades to blast the Hunters with shrapnel. The tanks at the rear began to let loose with their main cannon as constant blasts hit the beasts with massive forces. Hunter bodies began to litter the ground as dozens met their demise from the huge shells and firepower of the marines.

Yet, the Hunters inflicted their damage as well. Green plasma washed over warthogs as they roared past, flinging the already dead driver and his passengers on other vehicles. Slow moving tanks were unable to dodge multiple bursts of the deadly shots that blew the control panel off the tank and obliviated the driver inside. Surprisingly, the marines on foot were the ones who took the least casualties. Spread out on the battlefield they were able to anticipate the shots and move quickly from its path. Though not putting up as much of a fight as the tanks or Warthogs, they were able to distract the Hunters on focusing their entire power on the vehicles.

The Master Chief had clambered off the Scorpion and reached a nearby hill to set up his sniper rifle. Adjusting his scope to view ten times over he was able to spot a couple of hunters taking pot shots at the scattering marines. Sighting them in his scope he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger four times.

Four Hunters collapsed on the terrain, holes punched in their exposed backs or their heads. Releasing the spent magazine and adding a fresh clip, he placed the enemies in his sight once again and took another huge breath. A couple more squeezes brought down a pair of Hunters that had just emerged from the foliage and another pair that had been attempting to overturn a damaged Warthog. Just as he was adding another clip a huge plasma shot landed on the hill in front of him. Though covered by the ascent of the hill the splash damage rolled across his shields until it began to beep and blink red. Knowing that he was in danger without a workable shield, the Master Chief quickly evacuated his position and grabbed a rocket launcher from one of the upturned Warthogs. While on the Carrier Falcon, the Spartan had received permission to add a rocket launcher to each of the vehicles for emergency use. Master Chief had learned that the Warthog's speed and size gave the otherwise useless passenger a better advantage of firing a well-placed rocket and adding more carnage.

It seemed that a plasma blot had flipped the vehicle on its side, crushing the occupants. However, the turret and weapons were still operational giving the Spartan an idea. Flipping the vehicle with his enhanced strength he quickly clambered up on the back of the vehicle and manned the turret. Unlike the three-barreled machine guns that most Warthogs had, this special vehicle carried the new version of the M68 Gauss Cannon. Firing 25mm projectiles at a hypersonic speed it did slightly less damage than a rocket launcher but fired three constant shots before having to cool off for several seconds. Its excellent armor penetration capability made it a dangerous vehicle against most heavily armed foes but weak against huge groups or platoons.

With grim accuracy the Spartan fired the first three rounds on the Hunters. The first two shots blasted the Hunter backwards and gore splashed on its comrades. The last shot knocked into the head of a Hunter who had been charging his fuel rod gun. The Hunter howled, accidentally releasing the charged shot and killing his bond brother.

His plan worked as the Hunters were distracted by the commotion. He fired a few more rounds after the cannon had cooled and jumped off just as four plasma shots crashed into the vehicle. Drawing out his M19 SSM Rocket Launcher the Chief fired two shots at a pair of Hunters. Lifting up their shields, the Hunters didn't expect the shots to fly under their only protection and hit their legs. The resulting contact created an explosion that blew the creatures into hot sizzling pieces of metal and meat.

Reloading two new missiles into the chamber he quickly dashed to another upturned Warthog and grabbed four more rockets. Firing the current missiles from the chamber to another pair of Hunters that had been smashing the occupants of an upturned Warthog he quickly reloaded and placed four rockets in his supply pack. He ran and fired at the Hunters while heading for each damaged Warthog to refill his launcher. Even though he was racking up kills, his endurance was pushed to the limit as he was forced to sprint hundred of yards while carrying the heavy launcher and the extra rockets.

Even with the hard fight the marines put up, they were slowly being forced back. The Hunters had begun sprinting towards the group of vehicles, wiping out dozens of marines as it smashed its shield on the helpless soldiers. A few lucky marines were able to dodge the rampage and shoot a couple of well placed shots in their back, breaking through their spine and cutting out of its stomach, instantly killing the huge moving tank. But then the marines were demolished by fuel rod shots or run over by the enraged bond brother. The tide of the battle was quickly turned over to the Hunters as the Warthogs lost space for maneuvering and the Scorpions began to run low on shells.

Just as the Master Chief thought, " I think the shit has really hit the fan now" the Hunters suddenly moved back into the shelter of the trees and disappeared within the forest. Taking advantage of this unexpected retreat he quickly reloaded his launcher with new missiles and sat down, unwrapping an energy bar that he had brought with him. The vanilla chocolate bar brought him the needed nutrients and calmed his raging metabolism that also came with his enhancements. He took a quick drink of water and surveyed the forest. Why had the Hunters retreated just when they were about to achieve victory? Their sudden action baffled the Spartan and worried the Chief as he pondered the numerous possibilities for this predicament. He glanced over at the marines and ODSTs.

Most of them seemed unhurt, though in this battle it was either get hit and killed by the huge plasma shots and rampages or be lucky and not hit at all. Several were nursing small sores to their feet and judging from the fact that they had been constantly running for the whole battle it seemed natural for such injuries.

Robert, or "Bob" as the Spartan later learned, had been unhurt from the battle by was vigorously massaging his arm. Seeing that it was his right arm that hurt and that his grenade bandolier was empty, Master Chief knew that they boy had been chucking grenades through out most of the battle. A rocket launcher and battle rifle with an empty magazine lay by his feet. The Chief surmised that the boy had attempted to carry the rocket launcher into battle, discovered he couldn't even lift the weapon, and had resorted to using his battle rifle.

Chris was next to him wrapping bandages across his head. A huge gash ran across his cheek all the way to his neck and was bleeding heavily. The Spartan saw that his whole ODST uniform had been covered by the orange blood of a Hunter and that he had his M6D pistol out. Though this "D" variant" had been replaced with the dual-wielding M6C pistol, it still packed a punch with its armor-piercing rounds and the X2 scope that it carrier. Master Chief guessed that the ODST had survived an initial charge by a Hunter and had gotten to its flank, firing his M6D pistol that had killed the Hunter and splashed its blood on the ODST's uniform.

Just as the Master Chief finished digesting his bar, a huge Hunter emerged from the forest. Guns were cocked and engines ignited as the marines prepared for battle.

" Hold your fire man!" yelled the Admiral. " It must be asking for a truce. Bring the A.I translator here!"

" Truce my half-burned ass," muttered the Sergeant. "I think the Hunter just came out cause it was feeling suicidal. Let's put it out of its misery with our traditional Marine greeting." And with that statement he pulled the lever of turret and set its sights on the Hunter.

" I would not advise you standing on that turret Sergeant," replied the shimmering A.I. That Hunter's armor is far more endurable than the other Hunters and you'll be in particles before you can do any real damage."

The Admiral held Toto as the A.I examined the Hunter. The Hunter was far different from the normal creatures. It was twice as big and its armor was gold. Its shield and fuel rod gun were also larger by comparison. The creature began to growl and grunt as it began to wave its arms in exaggerated gestures.

" Translation nerd," ordered the Admiral as he continued to watch the Hunter.

" Affirmative my primitive caveman," answered the A.I as letters and numbers began to compute across its body. " Judging by the aggressive arm movements and its lower growl, it seems to be challenging one of you marines to a battle. Obviously it has figured that to continue this battle would be to inflict even more casualties. Quite a sensitive and thoughtful creature I might add."

" The most sensitive and thoughtful thing any Covenant should do would be to just die!" yelled a Hell jumper and a chorus of " O-rah!" were yelled by his group.

" All right ladies and girls, which one of you wussies want to go up against the goliath over there? Inquired the Sergeant.

Just as several hands were about to rise for participation, the Hunter lifted its huge arm and slammed it in the ground. A huge wave of dirt flew in the air and the ground around the beast cracked and bent. A second smash caused a hole as big as a swimming pool to form in the dirt. Several hands fell upon seeing the whole and only two hands remained.

One was Master Chief. The other was Chris.

" Look, Mr. Superman," snarled Chris, " I think you've had enough glory for one day. Why don't you let someone who actually achieved his own rank and physique bring glory back to the real soldiers? I'm gonna show you how easy it is to—"

But whatever act he had proclaimed easy was interrupted as a gush of blood began to ooze out of the side of his head. He clamped it tightly, attempting to restrain the blood flow, but only succeeded in getting his hands bloody as the flow continued down to his shirt.

" Hell-jumper, I respect your bravery in going up against the beast but by the time you even lift that gun that things is gonna make you into some sizzled hash brown," commented the Admiral. " Why don't you let the Master Chief try? I'm sure that he can get an opening on the monster and kick its ass. If Hunters even have asses."

As the Admiral pondered this, the Master Chief strode over to one of the vehicles and grabbed grenades, two M6C pistols and a battle rifle. After ensuring that the weapons were fully loaded he strode over to the gold Hunter. He had a feeling that this was not going to be easy.


	5. Golden Warrior

Ch. 5 The Golden Warrior 

He stopped several yards from the Hunter. They stared at each other for several seconds as each warrior attempted to gauge up the other. Just when the Master Chief had gotten bored of staring, the huge beast took a huge leap that carried it several feet and began to sprint.

The Spartan calmly began to hit the alien with 3-burst rounds from his battle rifle. His other hand began to throw frag grenades that exploded near the Hunter and peppered it with shrapnel. Just when the beast was close enough to ram over the Spartan, Master Chief rolled to the side. However, just as he finished his leap a huge plasma ball fired at him from the fuel rod gun. With all his strength he leaped away from the point of impact and felt his energy shield crash as the splash damage washed over him.

The Hunter had used his charge as a diversion to load his gun and had purposely waited for the Spartan to give it an opening. But the momentum that the beast had been using made it keep going for several seconds. The Spartan immediately took out his dual-wielding pistols and began to fire the rounds into the back and other orange parts of the beast.

The Hunter howled in anger and began to sprint again towards the Chief. Still firing, the Spartan leaped over the charge and continued to fire the heavy rounds into the Hunter's back. It seemed that with his speed the Master Chief would eventually be able to wear down the creature and eventually kill it with enough bullets.

With surprising agility, the Hunter swung his shield behind him. The Spartan's reflexes saved him from being smashed by the heavy blow by arching his stomach back. Even so, the shield's long edges cut through his shields and scratched through his armor, giving him a feeling like his stomach was on fire. The magnetic gel-like shield that protected him bounced against the armored weapon, producing a force that flew him several feet before he crashed heavily to the ground. A searing pain flashed across his chest and stomach as he attempted to rise.

Without hesitation, the Hunter unleashed another plasma bolt that aimed directly for the Master Chief. He nimbly rolled, but his already weakened shield took the brunt from the plasma and his shields broke down completely. Then the Hunter began to charge again.

The Master Chief knew that his attempts to dodge the Hunter's attacks only worsened his condition and brought him closer to death. He had to counter-attack before the Hunter used the same combination of charge and fire tactics to destroy him. He decided upon the most daring and possibly the most stupid strategy that he had ever conceived.

" If Cortana saw what I was about to do," he thought, " She definitely would take me off the People-I-admire list."

To the surprise of the Hunter and the marines, the Spartan did the one thing that no one had ever tried on a Hunter. He began to sprint towards it.

" Is it possible for a Spartan to get his circuits fried from that plasma and lose it?" exclaimed Sergeant Hanson. " Cause I think he's redefining the definition of suicide in my dictionary."

" Jeez, Sergeant!" whined Bob. " Give him a chance! I bet he's come up with the best plan that will beat down the Hunter in style. I have absolute faith in him!"

" Robert," growled Chris " Grow up. The Spartan's probably figured he's lost so he wants to look like a hero before he goes down. Just like his other freak comrades."

" Can it, Helljumper," barked the Admiral. " Let's see what this soldier can pull."

The Hunter was only stunned for a second by the Master Chief's charge. It immediately began to charge it's fuel rod cannon and set its stance. Without giving the Hunter the opportunity to relax, the Spartan took out his Battle Rifle and began to fire 3-burst rounds directly at the Hunter's head.

The Hunter, blinded by the shots, was forced to lift its shield to deflect the shots. Drying out his ammo clip, he discarded the rifle and took out his pistols. With only 3 bullets left in each gun he had to gamble that his accuracy was enough to hit the right spot.

Seeing the Spartan nearing it, the Hunter lifted its shield, ready to crush the Spartan in one deft blow. Without even slowing down, the Master Chief shot both his feet forward and slid right underneath the Hunter. The position that the Hunter had formed rendered it unable to follow the Spartan's path for several seconds. That was all he needed.

Sliding out from underneath the beast, he immediately spotted the small orange patch that covered a small portion of the Hunter's back. His pistols barked as six bullets submerged into the flesh of the Hunter. It howled in agony, temporarily paralyzed by the amount of pain that had been inflicted on its Achilles heel.

The Master Chief was surprised. One shot in that spot was enough to bring the Hunter to its demise. Without even pausing, the Master Chief swung his fist back, and slammed it into the open wound that his pistols had produced. Blood gushed from the open wound as his fist crushed the tendons and tissues. Thinking as a killing machine, he grabbed all the muscle and tendons and began to squeeze with all his strength. The Hunter let out a large roar as it squirmed to pull its wound away from the Chief. It swung its elbow back in an attempt to knock out the Spartan.

The incoming elbow slammed into the Master Chief's midsection and left him temporarily dazed. Yet, still using every ounce of willpower and focus he continued to literally squeeze the life out of the Hunter. Black began to etch the edges of his vision as he slowly began to lose consciousness.

Suddenly, the Armored opponent collapsed on its knees. A small earthquake rumbled across the ground as the Hunter fell forward. The victor stood up, blood and gore glistening on his hands and armor.

" Holy shit, I've seriously got to write that maneuver in my manual," said the Sergeant. "Or in my book of _How to Suicide_."

Just as marines and some of the Hell-jumpers were about to congratulate the Master Chief, the Hunter suddenly rose from its feet. The Spartan quickly grabbed out his pistols. He reloaded both as quickly as possible and quickly pointed them towards it. What happened next surprised the Master Chief and the marines beyond belief.

The Hunter bowed.

It dropped to its knees and slowly bent its head as its Fuel rod gun and shield lay dormant. The Master Chief was completely dumbstruck. What the hell was going on?

The Hunter began to emit blinding flashes as it started to glow. The beautiful golden armor that it had once donned slowly began to slide off its body. The gold accumulated into a small pool, leaving a small scrawny orange being that limped slowly back to group. Its body seemed to be made of thin muscle and vine-like tissue that snaked up its body. Though tall, it was a thin sickly creature and the Master Chief almost felt sorry for it. Almost.

The losing Hunter began to growl incoherent sounds as it began to gesture towards the golden pool. The A.I Toto immediately used his knowledge of the beast to translate.

" It seems to be gesturing towards the gold as though it wants you to wear it. From it's tone and movements I think you've just been given a great honor. How ironic that the beings that you have always had trouble killing suddenly are at your command."

The Spartan slowly walked towards the shining pool. It glistened and the organisms inside seemed to bubble and float in the liquid. Keeping his SMG aimed on the pool, he reached his hand forward and touched the gold.

The gold life forms suddenly grabbed the finger that had penetrated its surfaces and slowly began to move across his arm. His body was slowly covered by the mass as it secreted itself in every little nook and cranny. The mass covered every part of his body but his visor. He surprisingly didn't feel the weight that he thought would accompany this transformation. After the organisms had finished getting themselves associated with the Master Chief, he examined his body.

Unlike the Hunters, who seemed to increase in mass ten-fold when enveloped by the gold mass, the Spartan did not seem to have changed in dimensions what-so-ever. His body felt just the same and he movements were as quick as ever. The one change that was noticeable was the state of his armor. It had thickened to a few centimeters and was a brilliant gold. The Spartan also felt a mental bond develop between him and the bipedal organisms.

" Master Chief," said Toto " These organisms are amazing! They seem to have developed a mutual relationship with you. Through (&()&( they will constantly regenerate by reproducing new cells that will replace any that have been injured. You only have to feed them by placing food on them. Master Chief, you have developed an organic shield that has tripled your defense. Your only vulnerable spot I'm afraid is your head, specifically at the visor. But that's covered by your MJOLNIR shields."

" Wow," commented the Master Chief. " I feel like a new man."

" And I thought the Master Chief couldn't look any hotter," muttered Sergeant Hanson. " Though I do recall that green is still the new fad back on our planet."

" OMG!" cried Bob. " I didn't think the Master Chief could look any cooler. But he is! Mr. Spartan, can I please have a piece of your armor?"

" Goddamn Robert," scowled Chris " Can you ever grow up?"

" If I could become a Spartan than you've got a 'yes,'"grinned the happy marine.

The Spartan had been growing quite fond of the boy's admiration for his existence. He could say less for others though, as he eyed Chris, who stared back with cold eyes.

Just as he was about to comply with Bob's wishes and give him a part of his new "skin" something in his mind cried out. Something

The admiral and sergeant were near one of the Scorpions talking and laughing heartily. The Master Chief headed towards both of them, intending to ask how they should proceed. They both looked up and gave him wide grins.

" Master Chief, "chuckled the Admiral. " The sergeant and I have been wondering about something that most scientists back home would wet themselves over."

" Yea, about that Hunter you fought today Spartan," the Sergeant grinned. " Did you notice any genital parts, you know, any reproductive organs or stuff?"

" Yo Chief!" yelled Jacob. " I think the sergeant is trying to politely say ' Did the bastard have a hot dog?"

All the marines began to crack up at this statement and even the hell-jumpers were smiling. Robert was giggling so hard that he almost fell off the Scorpion that he had been standing on.

The Spartans face remained passive ( well, it's always passive anyway)

" It was dark when I was sliding through but I saw a stump. I'm sure though that it doesn't match in size to the sergeant's though."

This time the marines started to roll on the ground, laughing at the top of their lungs. The Hell-jumpers began to chuckle and one was actually laughing hard, tears pouring down his face. Robert had tripped during his burst of laughter and had gotten stuck in the cockpit.

Just as the fun was starting a low humming sound was heard from the distance as a deep rumbling shook the ground. All the marines looked up in curiousity at the sounds but the Master Chief gritted his teeth. He had heard this sound many times though out his battles and knew that he would never rid himself of it.

" Covenant," he muttered.


	6. Zealot of Doom

Ch. 6 The Zealot of Doom 

" Snipers!" yelled the Sergeant. " Check your scopes and tell me what the hell is making that sound!"

" Sir!" whispered a shaky marine as he slowly looked away from his scope. " There are Covenant, hundreds of them! Elites and Jackals! They've even brought their own vehicles!"

" God, what a beautiful day," murmured the Admiral. " To head to hell."

Suddenly a low Ghost appeared over the ridge of a hill and slowly stopped. A golden Elite emerged from the vehicle and walked slowly to the group of Marines. Every single soldier abruptly lifted his rifle and aimed it at the head of the creature.

" Hold your fire men!" roared the Admiral. " Let's see what this warrior has to say to us. Jacob, bring out Toto!"

As Toto appeared from his data crystal the Covenant began to speak in its foreign tongue. Its quick and rumbling voice laid out a well-elaborated speech that ended with a snarl.

" Translation geek," said the Admiral.

" At your command my dear Mexican taco," replied the A.I. " Translation start… ' We have come to tame the Hunters and join our holy cause. I do not know what beings you are but you will either step out of the way or die by my hands.' Translation end."

Groups of Hunters emerged from the forest. The thin leader raised its shield high into the air, and slammed it into the ground with an angered howl.

" Judging by his attitude, I don't think the Hunters are ready to chill with these ugly assholes," laughed the Sergeant. The Elite looked over to the Hunter and began to growl and snarl a new sentence. It then clambered onto its vehicle and drove back to the Covenant horde.

" Translating start," droned Toto. " 'If you do not obey, we shall wipe you from the face of this planet for your treachery. Prepare for battle.' Translation end…"

" Well, my blood-thirsty homies the Covenant seem to want to have a debate over who's the hippest. I say that we give them a strong rebuttal before they can even open their mouths and show those stunted faggots who the real men are! Snipers, get positions on the hills and commence Operation: Hand-the-Covenant's-asses-on-a-silver-plate."

The snipers readily obeyed as they climbed the small hills and began to set up their weapons. Soon the air was thick with the sounds of loud cracks and magazines being swapped as the marines laid penetrating bullets on their foes. Though his own scope the Master Chief saw eight Elites crumble as the bullets ripped through their heads and throats. He fired four shots and watched with content as three Jackals and a golden Elite collapsed from the impacts.

Just as he was about to slap in a fresh magazine, the Admiral could be heard yelling a retreat. The Spartan quickly picked up his rifle and sprinted back to camp. Every undamaged Warthog held fresh drivers, turret operators and passengers who carried a rocket launcher. The tanks had lined up on the highest hill to get a better view of the enemy. The Admiral was screaming on his radio for Pelicans to head to their position and bring them extra supplies and firepower. The Master Chief had climbed on the back of a Warthog and held the turret. On the driver side was Robert, who gave him a wide grin, and Chris, who gave him a cold stare that could have stopped a Hunter right in its tracks.

" Better be aiming good, Hulk," sneered Chris. " Otherwise I'll have to knock you off that seat and do it myself."

" By the time you even get off your seat, the Master Chief would probably have kicked your ass dude," yelled Robert. " Why don't we all just calm down and be friends?"

" Shut up peewee," Chris snarled as he hefted the Rocket launcher on his shoulder.

Engines roared and tanks rumbled as the vehicles began to head towards the Covenant. They were outnumbered one to five but the Spartan had faced much worse scenarios. Just not with a talkative marine and a biased Hell-jumper. It was going to be an interesting day.


	7. The Unsteady Alliance

Note: hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Those things just give me so much inspiration to continue the crap that I'm doing ( if anyone else uses this language to describe my story, I will be seriously peeved). Here's the major battle with the " past" Covenant. Enjoy!

Ch.7 The Unsteady Alliance 

Over the muddy terrain rose the army of Ghosts, Banshees, and Wraiths. Plasma and shells pasted each other as each impacted on their opposing sides. The Wraiths' main cannon released a burning ball of inferno that obliterated multiple vehicles and marines. The fast moving Ghosts fired their plasma turrets and gunned down marines while evading the tracer bullets of the Warthog's guns. Sky-high Banshees released plasma shots from their fuel rod guns as they gunned down the Scorpions that could not trace its evasive maneuvers.

Meanwhile, plasma shots peppered the marines as hundred of Elites and Jackals slowly headed towards their position. Huge charged shots homed in on unfortunate marines, blasting them back as their body mass exploded from the impact. Rapid-firing plasma washed over the battlefield and cut through Hell-jumpers who had been in the front line. Counter-attacking seemed futile as the bullets bounced off the shields of the Jackals and were absorbed by the shields of the Elites.

Only the Scorpions seemed to be controlling their terrain of the battlefield. With their armor piercing tracer bullets cutting down unlucky Jackals and Elites the tanks fired its huge main gun that wiped out ranks of Covenant crossing the hill and groups of Ghosts that had been pursuing a lone Warthog. However, these mighty titans were unable to do much damage to the Banshees, it heavy 90mm shells missing as the vehicle barrel-rolled and boosted past each shot. Groups of these " Hell flies" bombarded tanks with their plasma and fuel rod cannon until the overwhelming heat melted the tanks engines and crippled its shields. By then the driver had already been dead.

The Master Chief rained hell on the Covenant as he let loose a barrage of armor piercing bullets that tore down their enemies into mere blood and gore. Robert went full speed as he ran over unlucky Jackals, whose shields could not withstand such a massive force. Elites that rolled out of the way were immediately gunned down by the Spartan. Chris was firing his rocket launcher so fast that the Master Chief could have sworn that he had made the gun semi-automatic. Wraiths exploded and ghosts crashed as these deadly missiles hit their mark. Still disliking the Hell-jumper for his loud mouth and tough demeanor, the Spartan couldn't help but admire the soldier's aggressive and skill as he knocked a jackal clear off its feet with his launcher. Gore splashed onto the windows. Robert immediately pressed the button for the windshield wipers.

Just as their vehicle was heading towards edge of the forest where the Hunters had first appeared a huge ball of plasma crashed yards in front of them. With no time to swerve the vehicle plunged into the makeshift hole and short-circuited.

The three passengers clambered out and continued their assault. The Master Chief was skillfully holding the rifle in one hand and dealing out swift punishment on the Covenant while throwing fragmentation grenades on any nearby enemies. Chris was still firing his rocket launcher and blasting a group of Jackals that had wandered to close to their position. Robert was firing rounds with his Battle Rifle, suprising the Spartan with his accuracy as the bullets all got head shots on his adversaries.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the group as a Banshee hovered above them, charging its guns.

" Move!" yelled the Master Chief as he slung his rifle and grabbed both soldiers. He leaped twelve feet with his occupants just as two huge plasma bolts crashed into the Warthog that they had been using as cover. The Banshee flew past them, making a curve as it headed back to finish them.

Just as the Banshee got in range of the three, a huge plasma shot flew over their heads and collided with the vehicle. Bits of metal and blood rained on the Master Chief and soldiers as the vehicle was vaporized. This seemed to be a cue for then hundreds of plasma bolts rained from the forest and smashed into the Covenant army. Wraiths fell apart as the strong plasma washed over its hull while numerous Ghosts and warriors were descimated by the attack.

On his radio, the Spartan heard the Admiral give orders.

" Looks like we have some unlikely allies, soldiers. I want gunners to put suppression fire on the Banshees and them only. Homing rockets and Scorpion guns cannot seem to hit it. I need more snipers back here to take down the zealots with the swords that are wiping out marines!"

Just as the radio shut off, several pairs of Hunters emerged from the forest. Their guns were charging another shot as they held their shields at a defensive position. They slowly moved towards the stranded group and in a suprising gesture, formed a defensive circle around them. Chris had his mouth open while Robert eyes were popping.

" You two stay here," said the Master Chief. " Just continue shooting at nearby Covenant and stay clear of the tanks. I'm going to go fight."

" Yea?" snarled the Hell jumper. " And just how the hell are you going to be able to survive in one piece in that war zone freak?"

" By stealing a Ghost," the Spartan replied calmly as he slowly began to jog towards the battlefield.

" Now that's a real hero," murmured Robert as he watched the Spartan disappear over the ascending hill.

" Or more like a dumbass," muttered Chris. " But at least a brave one."

**Ch. 8 Dude, where's my Ghost?**

Three Jackals collapsed to the floor with penny-sized holes in their heads as the Master Chief sprinted past, putting a fresh clip into his rifle as he moved on.

Just as he got into a view of a group of blue Elites wielding plasma rifles, a Ghost hummed to life as it headed towards him. The sunlight reflected off the red armor as the veteran Elite boosted his vehicle to run him over.

As the vehicle loomed closer the Master Chief bent his legs and leaped high into the air, keeping his knees forward as he rose in the air. The Ghost passed right over him but the tall Elite smashed into the the Spartan's knees. The velocity and impact cracked the alien's neck and the limp corpse flew off as the vehicle careened and crashed nearby. The Master Chief sprinted towards the fallen vehicle, hosing down nearby Jackals with his twin SMGs as he neared the vehicle.

Using his super-human strength he flipped the Ghost over and entered its cockpits. Having driven the strange hovercraft during his battles on Halo he expertedly started the radiator and took off. Holding down the trigger he littered the air with superheated plasma that scorched through the Jackals shields and burned the Elites. Covenant that stood in his way were used as speed bumps as he boosted his vehicle over the fighters.

As he continued to ride the vehicle, Elites began to recklessly attempt to board the vehicle. The brave warriors would grab a wing of the Ghost or jump on the front in an attempt to extract the Spartan out. Using his iron fist he punched two of the Elites in the mandibles, blood and teeth spewing as the aliens were knocked off. However, a black Elite had landed on his front during the battle and had steadied itself. Ad the Master Chief turned around to reach the controls the Elite smashed his heel into the Spartan's chest. Bits of gold burst from his armor as the organic shield took the brunt of the attack. He felt the anguish of the symbionts as they screamed for the death of their brethren. He groped for a weapon to counter-attack.

His hand fell around a short and curvy handle. As he attempted to drop the unknown object, a huge burst of plasma erupted from the stem and was slowly configured into the shape of a sword. Acting on instinct, he swung the blade at the Elite and ducked as a wave of blood poured from the gaping gash that he had cut cleanly through the Elite. With surprise still on its face it dropped off from the Ghost, a pool of purple blood forming around it as its corpse emptied itself of life contents.

Releasing his hand from the trigger button he clamped his left hand on the maneuvering controls and held down the boost button. As he began to smash past Covenant, he ignited the sword once again and began to swing it near the adjacent enemies that had been able to dodge the rampagne. A trail of blood and gore marked the path of the Ghost as the Spartan continued his bloody work. Just as his carnage report read sixty, he saw seven huge dots appear on his radar. Turning around he saw a fleet of Ghosts boost towards his location. He quickly pushed the vehicle to full throttle as he attempted to outrun the Ghosts.

" This is Spartan 117 reporting to Admiral Timberlake," he said over his COM. I have seven Ghosts on my tail and am heading to initial LZ on coordinates 3 and 24. Request Scorpion support."

" Roger that Master Chief," replied the Admiral. " Sending two Scorpions half a click from LZ. Give constant reports of your coordinates during retreat."

Slightly peeved about the Admiral's use of " retreat", the Master Chief pushed his Ghost to the fullest extent as he put more vigor into his slashing. His Ghost slowly turned to a dark purple as his kill count rose.

However, the Ghosts tracking him seemed to be faster. Without even using their boost they were still easily keeping up with him. Judging by the bleeping bar that was slowly diminishing and the smoke that was bellowing out from the left wing he assumed that he was a little slower than his adversaries. Just as he was contemplating how to much farther to go, a bombardement of plasma fire splashed over this Ghost. The left wing was destroyed by the attack while the Spartan felt more of his symbionts peel off from the attack. His shields wavered as the openings left by the gold organisms were hit with stray fire.

Just as he was about to finish his ascend on a hill, his right wing exploded from the heavy fire and he was flung from the vehicle. His golden shield of organisms disappeared as he collided with the hill. He got to his feet shakily as the seven Ghosts neared his crash site. Pulling out his twin SMGs he decided to have a last stand and unlocked the safety. Better dying looking like a hero he thought. With a pull on the trigger he rained bullets on the incoming vehicles, ready to take down as many of the Elites as he could.

Suddenly, a huge shell impacted in the center of the line of Ghosts destroying two and badly injuring the adjacent ones. The pilots, confused with the sudden attack, turned as they attempted to engage the new threat. A second shot followed, causing three others to explode and a few Ghosts to careen out of control from the impact. The remaining two survivors beat a hasty retreat as they boosted back to the Covenant army.

Waving a thanks to the tank operators, the Master Chief sprinted back to the battle, adding fresh ammo clips to his spent SMGs while switching his COM on.

" Sergeant Hanson," the Spartan inquired. " What's your status?"

Static crackled for several seconds before the gruff voice of the Sergeant filled his speakers. " Chief, our turrets have taken care of most of the Banshees that have patrolling the skies. Most of the Ghosts have been destroyed by our rocket launchers and by those green plasma that the Hunters are firing on them. We're practically kicking ass on the ground since our military skills are second to none. Our primary goal right now is to destroy the Wraiths that are wreaking havoc on us. We could use your assistance over here."

" Affirmative. I'll be there." Just as the spartan signed off a Warthog pulled over.

" Yo, Master Chief!" yelled a marine. " We lost the guy riding shotgun while we were fighting off a Banshee. Wanna ride?"

" Sure marine," replied the Master Chief as he got into the seat. " Speaking of shotgun, has a guy who's ever rode shot gun actually used a shot gun during the ride?

The marines gave him a baffled look that confirmed the Chief's suspicions. Pumping a shell into the chamber of his M90 Shotgun the Spartan looked to the marines.

" Then you better write this event in your diaries when you get back home."

Roaring at full speed the Warthog smashed headlong into dozens of Covenant as the gunner laid waste with his rapid firing. The Master Chief was blasting the enemies who ventured to close with his shotgun, smashing the Jackals shields and disfiguring Elites. Shell after shell popped out of his gun as he pumped the shot gun for more victims. An Elite attempted to scorch the Spartan with his plasma rifle was rewarded with a blown head while a Jackal was sucked under the moving tires of the vehicle.

Just as the Warthog neared the position where the Sergeant and his marines were rapid plasma fire slammed into the side of the vehicle. The sudden impact rolled the Warthog to the side. As the driver emerged from the wreckage he was immediately obliviated by plasma while the gunner was run over by the boosting vehicle.

The Master Chief saw the Ghost circle as the Elite prepared for another assault. The Master Chief suddenly realized that this zealot with the glimmering gold on its armor had been the one who had warned them of the battle. He pumped his rifle, ejecting the spent shell and placing a new one in the chamber just as the golden Elite sped towards him.

Plasma burst over the ground as the Master Chief jumped and strafed to dodge most of the attacks. Just as the Elite was within a few yards of him the Spartan began to sprint towards it, quickly priming a grenade and hurling it a few feet from the speeding vehicle.

The Elite swerved to the left just as the grenade detonated into a million pieces. Using his quick reflexes and calculations he quickly leaped into the smoke and landed upon the wing of the Ghost. The surprised Elite had barely time to cry out before the Spartan pumped two full rounds of the magnum rounds into his face. He finished off the assault with a smash of his rifle butt that knocked the warrior off the vehicle. Just as he was grabbing controls and changing his altitude to finish the Elite he saw a bright shiny flash of blue on the front of the hull.

" Damn," muttered the Chief as the plasma grenade exploded. The Elite had somehow had enough strength to toss a grenade while hurling towards the ground. The Master Chief was blown back by the explosion that ensured and slammed into a nearby rock, forming a huge crack that split the rock in two. His already dying gold armor was smashed as his shields took the brunt of the fall. As his organic armor began to slowly regenerate itself while the shields recharged, he stood up to face the Elite.

The Elite had its plasma sword drawn out and was pointing a finger at the Spartan. Just as he was wondering what the Elite was babbling about, Toto's voice echoed from his speaker.

" Translation start… ' Vile being! You have committed sacrilage by interfering with the Holy Crusade that shall unite all the beings on this planet into one! You have touched a Soldier of the Prophets and only swift death will redeem your actions...translation end. "

" Let's just skip the chatter and cut to the batter," growled the Spartan as he ignited the plasma sword that he had stolen from the other Elite. The golden warrior roared as he saw the covenant weapon being activated.

" Translating start… ' How dare you steal the ceremonial weapon of the Elite class! You will die by my hand today you…error, unable to decipher context."

" Oh, I think I know what that bastard is calling me Toto and I don't need a translation," muttered the Spartan.

With a roar the Elite lunged towards the Master Chief.


	8. Battle of the Golden Titans

Notes: Wow, thanks for the reviews guys. Thanks to SPECIALGUY for complimenting my humor, (I wasn't sure if my laugher at my own jokes qualified as funny…). Just wanted to let xXHellsingXx know that yes, even the most honorable Elites can develop a curse when they're pissed 

Ch. 8 The Battle of the Golden Titans 

Plasma sizzled as the two swords collided. With surprising speed the Elite began to execute heavy blows that smashed over and over on the Spartan's unsteady hand. The adroit Elite, sensing the Spartans lack of skill with the blade, recklessly bounded forward and executed an upward slash. The force and speed of the blow knocked the Master Chief back, and the Elite used this weakness to administer a sharp kick to his gut.

The Spartan landed on the ground, refusing to let the bile that had risen to his throat spew out. He quickly got to his feet and steadied his right hand.

" Oh, I see how it is," he growled as he charged at the Elite.

The Elite, amused by this sudden movement, decided to end the life of this annoying alien with one lunge. With a roar of victory it lunged with heightened agility towards the Spartans throat.

The Master Chief twirled to the side and sidestepped the attack.

The Elite's amusement changed to a grimace as the Spartan repaid the Elite with an elbow smash to the face. The Elite staggered, and the Master Chief swung his boot up the alien's crotch, lifting it several feet into the air.

The expression on the Elite was indiscernable though it was far from happy at getting kicked in that special area.

" I guess these Elites do have the family jewels after all," thought the Spartan as he prepared to finish his combo with a cut of his sword.

Just then the enraged Elite slashed at the Master Chief's chest. The edge of the sword penetrated through his gold armor and shields, cutting through his suit to his bare skin. The Master Chief felt another searing pain and wetness as his blood began to issue out from the wound.

As he attempted to sturdy himself from the attack, the Elite swung back and gave the Master Chief a roundhouse punch to the face. The force of the impact forced the Master Chief several feet as he hit the ground with a thump. Stars formed in front of his eyes and his arms felt like stone. A dull migraine pounded in his head.

As he attempted to reach his sword the approaching Elite kicked it aside and towered over the Master Chief.

" Alien," his translators spoke. " The punishment for holding a sword and attacking a warrior is immediate death. I will see you in the void."

As the Elite swung his arm up to execute the finishing move, the Spartan mustered all his strength and kicked at the Elite's legs. His boot collided with the back of its knee and the Elite crumbled under the blow. Doing a front flip the Master Chief grabbed the Elite's neck and began to pound its face with his armored fist. Its shields diminished as the continuous blows broke through the Elites armor and began to impact with his face. Reaching for the Elite's vest he grabbed a plasma grenade.

" See you in hell," muttered the Spartan as he activated the grenade and stuck to the Elite's forehead. " I hope that meets the regulations of a decent burial."

The Elite's screams were interrupted as the plasma grenade exploded, blasting bits of gold armor and gore onto the Chief as he rolled to safety. The Master Chief stood up and brought out his battle rifle, ready to leap into battle.

Five Wraiths stood in a row, hulls on fire as smoke poured out from its cockpit. Hundreds of Ghosts and several destroyed Banshee littered the landscape, crackling with broken circuits as a few exploded. Distant gunfire and yells were heard while the sound of Fuel rod guns were heard issuing their deadly plasma. The Master Chief headed to the Ghost that the former golden Elite had been riding in and climbed in. He rode the vehicle past more carnage of smoldering corpses until he reached the spot where he had last left Robert and Chris.

Of the six Hunters that had been protecting them, only two remained. A circle of dead Elites, Jackals and Ghosts surrounded the group as the marine and Hell-jumper clambered out from under the beat up Warthog.

" Yea!" cried the excited Marine. " I knew the Master Chief would return to save us!"

" Save us from what idiot? Looks like he came back at just the right moment to look good," sneered Chris as he unslung his rocket launcher.

The Spartan ignored him as he took the wheel of the smoking Warthog.

" Strap up and shut up," he replied as he revved the engine. The two soldiers complied as he headed back to the rendezvous. Something fishy was going on.

As he neared the forest where the marines had been attacked he spotted the Admiral conversing with several Lieutenants. As he got off the vehicle and headed towards the group, shouting erupted.

" I want to know why in blue blazes the Covenant were attacking their own kind? What bullshit is happening now? I want a report goddammit and I want it fast, no, I want it now!

A blue light flashed from the Admiral's hand and configured itself into the A.I Toto, who appeared to be very smug about something.

" If the Admiral could calm down I could give…"

" Shut up Toto! As you haven't seen, I'm doing my bitch session!"

"…you the files on the emergence of the Covenant."

" And now my session is over. Go ahead electric lips."

Ignoring this insult, the A.I consulted his files. " It is written here by a certain captured Elite named Tolseraree that each species had been found on separate planets. The Hunters had been tamed from a barren rock world and the Jackals had been found in a heavily forested planet. The Brutes and Elites have been mortal enemies on this same planet though the Elites were first incorporated into the Prophet's armies after being convinced. The grunts seemed to have been forced in and originate from a marshland several clicks from their main city. There is no evidence of where the drones had appeared."

" Ok then, explain to me why the Hunters are fighting their own homies huh?"

" I suggest you allow me to talk to the head Hunter about this matter. He may be able to provide me with more adequate information."

Grumbling, the bad tempered Admiral walked towards the naked Hunter while quietly clicking the safety off his M6C pistol. He didn't trust the monstrous beasts even though they had fought with them. Tables could turn, and the admiral had had that honorable experience several times during orbit battles.

Toto began to speak in the Hunter language with his deep grunts and growls while using hand gestures to ensure the understanding of the Hunter. The Hunter in turn, raised its arms and spoke in the similar language, ending it with a snarl as it banged its shield against its fuel rod. The A.I turned towards the Admiral.

" Based on what I could decipher, the Hunters have absolutely no idea who the Covenant are. At the time they had been on their home planet hunting their mortal enemies. Their foes had vanished into a cave and the hunting pack of Hunters had scrambled in after them. The next instant they had appeared in this forest and had been attacked by us and the Covenant. Judging by the way he was slamming his shield I don't think he was happy with the welcoming committee.

" Well, he started it," muttered the Sergeant as he glanced over at the Hunter with dark eyes.

" Aren't you around twelve years old Hanson?" inquired the A.I

" Thirty seven dumb ass. But I'll let any age between twenty-four and thirty slide."

" Well, start acting your age, cause I could have sworn I've heard that phrase used by second graders."

" Bitch."

" So," interrupted the Admiral. " Are you telling me that these giants just ran into a portal and were brought here? Like us?

" Well, we were sucked by a Kerr Hole so we most likely went into the past. I think the Hunters had stumbled upon a teleporter."

" So, the Covenant haven't been created in this time yet correct?" said the Master Chief as he walked over to the group. " Only the Prophets, Elites and Jackals have united."

" From what my report shows and the past events, yes," replied the A.I.

" Oh, it is my birthday," murmured the happy Sergeant. " And I know exactly how I'm going to celebrate it."


	9. Stalkers

Note: Sorry about the short chapter. It was mostly a transitional thing to the next one when they head into the Elite city and discover something…oops, I guess you could call that a teaser.

Please send reviews! I feel highly motivated when I get reviews and I write much more vigorously to get the chapters out for fans. A review basically gets my chapter out earlier, cause I'm sure that someone is still reading this…and I'm not typing all this bull for nothing.

Ch. 9 The Stalkers 

As the group of marines began to head out the head Hunter walked towards the Admiral. It's armor was already growing back rapidly as patches of brown covered its head and torso. It began to gesture and growl in its language.

" Damn, I ain't Mongolian," muttered the Admiral. " Toto, give me another translation of what this hulk is trying to say."

The A.I. immediately reappeared and began to decipher the speech.

" It seems the Hunter would actually like to join you in your crusade," said the A.I as more symbols continued to roll across its body. " Not knowing where else to go it wants to get revenge on its lost brethren. It realizes you have the same goal."

" Yea," interrupted the Sergeant. " But didn't we also kill their compadres in the first fight? So, couldn't these killer machines just stab us in the back? I don't trust Covenant."

" First off," the A.I. replied angrily, " These are not Covenant. Second, we did help the Hunters repel the attack that was initially against them. We also suffered major casualities. I think it wants to call it fair.

" Go ask it to give us their word," muttered the Admiral. " I want to make sure that we're always going to be on the same side."

The A.I. began to growl in the Hunter dialogue towards the head Hunter. It immediately placed its shield in front of it and bowed on its knees, the same gesture it had given the Master Chief after its defeat.

" Whatever," muttered Hanson. " Let's stop this yapping and get on with the mission."

" I say we head to the marshland where the grunts were reported to live," said Toto. " We can either make peace with them or annihilate them."

" Make piece with those methane-sucking midgets? I could close my eyes and pop about a dozen of them with my sidearm," growled the Sergeant.

"Yet, they are the closest ones to our location, and pacifying or destroying them will lessen the numbers of the Covenant," replied the A.I. " And when they're not fighting they are quite cute."

" Alright," barked the Admiral. " You heard the man! Let's get this operation rolling towards the Grunts. Move out and double time!"

As the group moved towards the location of the Marshland, not one of them noticed the hundreds of eyes that watched them from the shrubbery. Black armor gleamed as an Elite turned around to his group of Spec ops troops consisting of his own brethren and grunts. His smile was evident.

" We going to attack monsters, friends and…demon?" squeaked an excited grunt as he glanced nervously at the group receding over the hills. " Me scared."

" As members of the special operations," growled the dark Elite. " Fear is something we do not speak or show. We will follow these humans and attack them when they are weak. I don't care what time we are in, we will crush any one stand with the humans, and that includes those Hunters. Everyone use active camouflage."

The entire platoon disappeared, and all that could be seen moving were the slight footprints and shimmers of the Spec ops Covenant


	10. The Elite City

Ch. 10 The Ruins 

Note: Hey, thanks for the reviews man. As a reward for your dedication, here's a large chapter that hosts a huge battle. I can't emphasize enough how much reviews mean to me. They mean that…you know…someone cares about what I do ( sniffing as I wipe my nose). But as I've said before and probably again in the future, reviews just push me to continue to write this stuff to appease my readers. It'd be nice to get some happy comments, and of course some concerns, questions and edits ( if you flame, I will do something very very mean. Very mean.) So just keep reviewing and the stories will keep coming.

P.S. I just got a headset for Xbox live and I am a sniping geek and the loudest mouth of 'em all. ( the account is HEDNOOD, as in head newb)." Just two more clicks until we reach the Grunt encampment," said the blue A.I as it referred to its files.

The large group had been marching for days through the terrain. They had gone through forests, up hills, crossed barren wastelands and were currently following a stream that would lead to them to another valley below. Across this valley lay the marshlands, where the Grunts were supposedly camped.

The Hunters were surprisingly silent as they moved with the marines. The head Hunter's armor had regrown back into a dark brown, and it led its group of about thirty Hunters as they tread silently behind the soldiers. The rest of the aliens had decided to remain at the forests and wait for the teleporter to reappear. Hope still clung to their urge to go back to their home planet.

" I must say," growled the Sergeant, " This whole operation has gone FUBAR ever since that freaking space hole sucked us up like a smoothie."

" Yo, sergeant," said Robert. " What's FUBAR?"

" You're too young to know kid," replied Chris as he walked alongside.

" Looks like we've reached the valley," muttered the Master Chief .

" Shit!" yelled the Admiral as he surveyed the valley.

A huge ship occupied most of the terrain. It's sleek droplet-shape body had not forcefield around it and was silent and still. There were no signs of any Covenant.

" That's FUBAR," Chris pointed out to Robert as several snipers went prone and clicked the safety of their S2 AM sniper rifles.

The Master Chief immediately took out his Rocket launcher and loaded a rocket into its base. He magnified his scope twice the distance and scanned the ship's shadows for hidden Covenant.

After several minutes with no sign of the Covenant appearing, the Spartan the snipers retracted their weapons. The Admiral had a worried expression on his face as he looked at the huge ship.

" I don't us to be starting any fights with the Covenant and losing men. Possibly fighting the grunts and attacking the main city of the Prophets is going to require a lot of firepower and I don't want to lose more than necessary. Let's try to circle around the ship and prevent a battle."

" Sir," cried Toto as he reappeared from his chip. " Unless our battleship camera's have been tampered with, these photos indicate that this is the same ship that had attacked us during our trip to the Colony. These are the real Covenant from our time."

" Jesus," muttered the Admiral. " If they've spotted us they're probably waiting in ambush for us to get near. Tell the tank to load new shells in their cannons. Add new ammo belts to the Warthogs."

" Marines and Helljumpers!" yelled the Sergeant. " Make sure you're stocked with sufficient ammo and grenades. I'm going to inspect and ensure every one of you has a fresh clip in his rifle. Keep your sidearms ready. Let's hustle!

The group slowly circled around the valley and towards the river as the large star, a Sun to this world, radiated its heat upon the soldiers. Toto was informing the Hunters of their predicament while the Sarge was yelling at Robert for putting his magazine upside down in his battle rifle.

Four hours later…

Large monuments towered over the group as they made camp. Their surroundings consisted of the ruins of an ancient city, built with hard unknown material that had brittled into cracked rock and dust. Tall towers and huts scattered around the ruins, gargantuan walls surrounding the city within. Around the decaying civilization lay a vast forest that the group had been marching through to reach this location. The marines had attempted to enter the city by using explosives and tank firepower but to no avail. Even the Hunter's fuel rod guns were useless.

" Screw the city," muttered the Sergeant. " I want snipers up on those towers covering the forest. I want the tanks up against the walls so they can't get flanked and Warthogs covering the radius of this place. I want marines spread out into fireteam and positioned in the forests. Let's hustle!"

Tanks rolled in position as Warthogs roared towards decent positions. Marines began to organize themselves into fireteams of five. Each fireteam included two riflemen, a machine gunner, a soldier with a launcher and a sniper. The one exception was the gold team, consisting of all snipers that were on the towers guarding the main position. The Hunters spread themselves across the compound in pairs, watching each other's back. The Master Chief was given command of three cheerful marines and two Hell-jumpers. The grizzled Hell-jumper with the rocket launcher acknowledged the Spartan while the younger one gave him the finger. The Master Chief ignored him and turned on his COM.

" I want each team's confirmation, position and number," said the Sergeant. "And don't give me any shit or I'll have some nut-cracking and ass-kicking to do."

" Alpha team."

" Positioned at the north side of the city and all accounted. Ready to whoop some Covenant ass sir!"

"Bravo team."

" At the northwestern side near the opening to the valley and all homies here. Prepared to make some noise!"

" Charlie team."

" In the forest twenty yards south from gates and we've got a party. Operation: Whoop-Covies-Ass in progress."

" Delta team."

" At the bank of forest southeast from gate and we're having a poker game of five. A good Covie is a dead one."

" Deal me in. Gold team."

" Stationed at all towers of the ruins and all eagles have eyes.

" Hunter unit."

Silence.

" Oh yea, forgot they couldn't use radios."

" Funny Sarge."

" Shut your piehole mister! I wasn't asking you if I was a comedian! Now, and last but far from least, Zulu."

" At the back of the ruins and we're all accounted for," replied the Master Chief.

" Alright marines, remain at your posts and give me hourly updates. I'm gonna catch a few winks and I will be very pissed if you wake me up to report a flying squirrel or some other shit."

The marines hunkered down behind a Warthog. The Master Chief, arms and legs still aching from the two battles and the long march leaned back against the wall of the building. Before his head even hit the stone he had fallen asleep.


	11. Cammies!

Note: Prior to my promise, I have gotten three reviews from fabulous fans and am now releasing this crazy chapter. By the way, though I have a lot of chapters on this thing, the reason is because I was on a writing spree, so just look at the date to see when this story really origininated. Just cause I have a lot of chapters and only 15 reviews doesn'tmean I suck dude. More than one Covenant force is fighting the MC…

Hey, if I found out how, I'm gonna also see if I can show you guys a my halo rap. Crazy stuff and it doesn't suck either. If you want the lyrics just say so in a review and I'll send it. But it would probably sound better if I sang it. Yup.

Ch. 11 " Cammies!" 

John looked at his surroundings. He was standing in a cementary, with the graves of all his friends lying around him. He felt a tingle on his spine. There was something here…

Dirt flew in the air as the gravestones collapsed on the cold soil. Decayed hands grabbed at the edges of their hole as bodies from each grave slowly climbed up to the surface.

His instincts kicking in, John pulled out his SMG. Howver, instead of the caseless sub-machine gun that was always there during battles he was holding a strange tube filled with green liquid. The index.

The zombies slowly encircled John and began to chant.

" You stopped the key from turning. Why are we dead? Why did you abandon us John?"

" I had no choice!" screamed John. " I had to fulfill my mission! I'm sorry…" he knelt to the ground and began to sob.

" There will be no remorse when you are in the void," a dark voice suddenly echoed. John looked up in just as the bodies began to converge together.

A huge green monster stood in front of the Spartan. With no face, no arms, with no humane features on its face, the enormous blob shadowed John. Green slime dripped from its tentacles.

" I am the sum of your fears John. I shall ease your pain by making you into nothingness."

The tentacles shot forth and bound themselves around John. He squirmed and kicked, but to no avail. Just as he lost all hope, he saw two SMG's near his feet. He picked them up and roared in anger as he sprayed the monster with the bullets. Multiple screams erupted from the monster as it slowly began to pour out its murky blood.

The Master Chief awoke abruptly as the scream ehoed in his mind. As he got up from his sleeping position a sudden suspicion caught at him. Since when had the screams been so loud in his dream? Turning on his COM, he decided to find out.

" Sergeant," he whispered into his COM. Several seconds of silence passed before he heard the gruff voice of the man.

" Damn…what is so important that could have waken me from my beauty sleep?" he muttered slowly from grogginess.

" I just want to make sure that all team positions have been accounted for. Could you do a run through?"

" In medical terms they'd call you paranoid."

Static glazed over the radio for several seconds as the Sergeant got in contact with the team.

"Alpha team, you there?"

"Sergeant, do you think we'd go on a nature hike at this time of the hour?"

" Bravo team, copy in."

" ergh…uhh…I'm not getting any younger Sarge."

"Charlie team, wake up!"

" What I hate most about the army…"

"Gold team! What up?"

" All eagle eyes are closed sir."

" Delta team, come in."

No response.

"Delta squad leader, stop being a lazy ass and answer!"

No response.

" Shit," muttered the Sergeant. Several seconds of silence passed before he responded. " Master Chief, I want your team to go check up on Delta and see what their situation is. If there's a problem contact me, and if they're still sleeping, do me the favor of stuffing your foot up his ass."

" Roger that Hanson," replied the Chief. He stood up and grabbed his Battle rifle.

" We're moving out to check up on Delta's position. Two assault riflemen, a rocket launcher and a sniper will be the firepower of our team. Load and let's move.

After stocking up, the team slowly headed into the forest. Passing trees, bushes and large shrubbery the forest seemed like a serene place. Until they reached a small clearing near a large boulder.

Blood was streaked on the trees. The six dead corpes of the Delta fireteam lay decaying rapidly in the ground. Empty shell cases littered the ground yet no plasma scorches indicated that a battle had ensued. The Spartan walked over to the body of the leader and inspected it. A huge gash cut through his back, exposing his spines and leaking intestines as the blood still flowed from the wound.

Other marines found similar wounds. Some were beheaded while others had their necks snapped or gaping holes in their chests. Though the carnage had laid waste six good men, the Master Chief couldn't help but sigh in relief. This was not the work of the enemies that he had dreaded in his dreams.

" Camies!" he yelled to his team mates. " They've got their invisibility on so we won't be able to see or detect them. Watch carefully for shimmers in the air or for the light glow of plasma swords."

As the marines spread out movement could be heard behind the darkness of the trees. A Hell-jumper suddenly screamed as his throat began to rapidly spew blood. Watching the shimmer that passed by the dying the soldier, the Spartan fired several three-round bursts into the moving air. A roar of rage, and a dead Elite fell to the ground.

" Retreat!" barked the Master Chief as he grabbed the rocket launcher from the dead Hell-jumpers hands. Pressing the trigger, he fired two rockets at the grove behind him. Blood and body parts littered the air as five grunts and two Elites were blown apart.

As they neared the encampment, plasma fire began to fly around them, scorching trees and bursting into dirt as they came dangerously close to their mark. A marine yelled in pain as needlers flew into his calves. A moment later he screamed as the needles exploded and burst through his muscles and tissues. The Master Chief ran back and carried the wounded marine as he radioed for help.

" We've got camies swarming on our position southeast from the main gate. All members of Delta team are KIA. We've got one soldier down and another wounded.

The tanks and Hunters began to fire into the forest that the group had just come from. The sound of shell casings hitting the ground was continuous as the Warthog's chain gun began to pepper the nearby shrubbery with its bullets. Rockets blasted into the forest, shredding trees and coughing dirt as the missiles slammed into the ground. The crack of sniper rifles could be heard while the sound of small arms fire could be heard from a supporting fire team. A medical unit arrived with a stretcher and began to evac the wounded marine from the fighting.

After five minutes of continuous shooting, the Sergeant ordered the vehicles and marines to cease fire.

" Alpha and Bravo! Get your asses over to that location and provide backup. Charlie, hold position! I want gold team to scope out the area for any shimmers of funny looking air. Someone get Toto on the line to tell the Hunters to regroup with us."

Suddenly, the radio frequency crackled as various voices filled the speakers.

" This is alpha team. And we're in a whole pile of shit! We're getting peppered by more camies at our location. We've got suppression fire on us and we're pined behind the gate's pillars! We need immediate assistance!"

" Bravo team reporting! We've just lost all our snipers! Something just climbed up the tower and slashed all their throats. Two warthogs and a tank have been destroyed by plasma grenades and we're under heavy fire. Need backup ASAP!"

" All units fall back!" yelled the Sergeant. " Form a semi-circle around the gate and we're going to try to get into the city!"

The fireteams and vehicles slowly headed towards the main gate as they battled the invisible enemy. Lucky shots would expose an Elite attempting to stop its intestines from popping out of its stomach walls or grunts with half their heads missing. Hunters sprinted into the field and began to swing their guns and shields, smashing down unlucky Elites and squashing Grunts in its rampagne. However, many times the marines would be firing at nothing and have their necks cracked or stabbed from behind. Waves of marines fell as vehicles exploded from plasma grenades or damaged by the plasma swords. Hunters that had been firing their fuel rods or charging suddenly fell, an orange fountain squirting from their backs or severed necks.

The Master Chief had fired his last two rockets into the ground where he had spotted faint shimmers. Three Elites were blown to bits as their blood mingled with the dirt. He quickly switched back to his shotgun and recklessly ran into the area where he had spotted the invisible foes. He began to rapidly pump and fire the shells as Elites and grunts with blown heads of torsos appeared in midair. Bullets tore the air as the gunner and the riflemen began to let loose a wave of hell at the Covenant.

Stepping over a dead grunt with a hole in its cone-shaped head, the Master Chief ducked just as a sword was swung at his neck. Bringing his gun to bear, he fired two shells at point-blank range at the spot where the sword had curved. An Elite appeared, holding a plasma sword and growling as its shields disappeared from the two shots. Realizing his shotgun was dry, the Master Chief quickly pulled out a pistol. He fired a round into the alien's head, and the Elite fell, blood squirting from the hole that had appeared on its forehead.

The Master Chief and his group finally reached the main gate. A group of both marines and tanks had formed a semi-circle around the gate and were holding back the Covenant while a group of marines were attempting to open the gate. Fire flew back and forth as marines and Covenant dropped from the hits. The ground lay stained with a variety of colors from the different species' blood.

The Master Chief sprinted to the makeshift line and began to add his firepower to the fray. Yet, the odds were piled high against them, they were up against a wall bunched up together, firing at places where they _thought_ the Covenant were. They were all going to die if that gate didn't open.

The Spartan backtracked towards the group of marines that were attempting to open the door. The Gate was huge, enough to fit at least three Scorpion tanks. It's doors were embroidered with strange terrestial symbols on them, figures and symbols that somehow seemed familiar to the Master Chief.

As he scanned the huge entrance he noticed a clear block in an adjacent pillar that didn't match with the rest of its constructs. Without thinking, he pressed his palm against it and watched in amazement as the block disappeared, leaving a colorful control panel with similar symbols that covered the monitor. A wave of excitement and fear washed over the Spartan. This was the same control panel he had activated countless times on Halo.

Memories of mutilated bodies and dying marines dashed through his head as he stared at the controls. He pushed his fear aside and activated the panel. If they didn't regroup inside that city, they would all be dead. But as he watched the gates creak slowly as they began to open a sudden impulse made him question. Was he just prolonging his death to witness something even worse?

The marines gave a whoop of joy as they saw the Gates slowly open. The Sergeant quickly began issuing orders on his radio.

" All marines have first priority of making it into the compound. Once you're in I want you to began lobbing grenades like hell to the enemy. Then I want the warthogs next and then the Hunters. Last I want a line of tanks in pairs coming through so that we block any space where that scum can slide through. Make it snappy!"

The marines began sprinting as the tanks took up defensive positions. The Warthog's turrets sprayed hell while the tanks continued to fire the round of shells into the shrubbery. The blast of fuel rod cannons issued as the Hunters sent the green balls of compacted plasma slamming into the ground and spreading its pain. Distorted bodies of Covenant appeared, withering and slowly melting from the extreme heat. The procedure was surprisingly efficient, the snipers were distracting the enemies with their sabot rounds that forced the Covenant to duck for cover everytime a round flew.

Just as the half the Hunters had made it into the city, green balls of plasma flew from the Covenant position and smashed into the group's position. Marines screamed as they were disinigrated by the blast. Warthogs flipped from close hits while tanks exploded.

The Spartan realized who was firing. On Halo, veteran grunts had used fuel rod guns to attempt to his Banshee when he had been attempting to destroy each power core on the planet. The shots were similar to the Hunters except they were weaker but much faster, able to fire five shots before reloading. The one disadvantage besides the weight of the weapon was that the fuel rod gun's ammo clip was a dead giveaway due to its sparkling energy cores.

" Aim for the glowing spots near the back of the assault. They've got grunts with Fuel rod cannons!"

Heavy fire swept over the fire, revcealing Grunts with blown off heads or multiple holes stuck in their chest. Less of the green plasma fired, and the fight was now more even footed.

The Master Chief stayed back to assist the vehicles. Running low on ammunition, he had picked up a pair of plasma rifles from a beheaded Elite and had began to fire plasma wherever he "felt" a presence. The plasma broke down the Elite's shields, penetrating their armor and burning through their organs. Three Elites already lay dead, their blood oozing on the grass as the Spartan brought down a pair of grunts. The tanks were now the last ones to head through the Gate.

As his plasma rifles spewed plasma waste from the constant firing, the Spartan saw an operator that had just backed his Scorpion into the gate scream as he was lifted from the cockpit and sliced in half. The cockpit door closed and the Master Chief realized how dire the situation had become. The Elite now had control of a Scorpion.

The turret of the tank turned, and a high velocity rocketed towards a nearby tank, cracking its hull and destroying its head. The turret rotated for another target.

Though the Master Chief was saddened by another loss of a marine, he couldn't help but admire the Elite for having learned the controls so quickly. However, it was endangering his comrades and pinning down the other tanks. It was time to do what a Spartan did best.

He took a running start and leaped. His feet implanted on the sides of the tank and he slowly began to crawl his way towards the cockpit door.

Just as he was about to cross over the secondary/coaxial gun it began to fire AP-T bullets from its opening. He ducked as the bullets flew inches from his helmet, ready to cut him to shreds if he were so much as tilted his neck. With time against him, the Spartan was forced to go to extreme measure. He primed a plasma grenade and stuck it to the side of the gun and immediately jumped from the moving vehicle.

A huge explosion tore the gun to pieces as it left a huge dent in the armor. The Master Chief sprinted towards the vechicle and with a leap landed precisely on the cockpit door.

" You're fun is over," he snarled as he began to clobber the driver with uppercuts and hard punches. Grabbing the Elite by the neck, he lifted it out of the vehicle and stared at for a second.

" Have a nice day," the Spartan muttered as he primed and stuck another plasma grenade on its forehead. " Tell your little friends I've returned your grenade."

With a large heave he threw the Elite thirty feet towards the ground. Shrieks and screams issued from the Grunts as the roaring Elite exploded in a blue light, taking with him the screaming Grunts.

" Just a little mark to remember me by."


	12. The Secret of the Ruins

Note: I am very happy that I got reviews and I'm not trying to sound greedy but…four? Come on kids, I worked hard on this story. Give me some credit and motivation. Here's a math equation: n# of reviews …..n(day)n(hours spent on writing). It means, forevery review I get, I shall spend one more hour writing this. PLEASE…I seriously need motivation. Though I do thank you guys for the very kind words you put in your reviews. I feel happy to truly feel that I got REAL reviews and not those reviews where they use it as a chatroom. That's not manly. So, I want to thank all my fans, and I want more reviews. Every review I see in my mail puts a bounce in my step and a thrust ( wrong word?) of energy in my soul. PLEASE write reviews. I'm trying not to beg…juts asking insistently. Now read my cool story. 

Ch. 12 The Secret of the Ruins 

Most of the tanks had already entered the compound during the Spartan's little battle. He quickly entered the tank and drove back while raining shells on the unlucky targets in his view. Waves of grenades flew over his head as they exploded upon impact with the ground, killing any Covenant who had neared the Gate.

As his Scorpion slowly rumbled through the doors he took out his SMG and blasted the control panel that lay to the side. The doors slowly began to close as the last of the vehicles entered the city. A few shimmers near the door indicated the efforts of the Covenant to get in but sabot rounds from the Gold team pierced the air, leaving a small warzone in the gap of the Gate. Finally, the Gate sealed shut, and muffled pounding and roars could be heard on the other side.

All the marines stood in awe as the Master Chief climbed out of the Scorpion. New of his actions to bring down the Elite in the Scorpion had spread quickly once the battle had ceased and even the Hell jumpers made a small path as the Spartan passed by them. A few even gave him compliments.

" You go Chief!"

" Did you stick the Covie?"

" You brought the pain to the foe yo!"

He silently acknowledged the remarks and walked towards the Admiral. The Admiral was holding Toto's chip in one hand and scrutinizing the dead body of an Elite that had gotten through the gate but had been sniped. The bullet had pentrated through its neck and left a lot of blood residue onto its dark black armor.

" Master Chief, check out this Elite," said the Admiral as he indicated at the Elite's armor. A symbol of a white halo was visible on its shoulder.

" I also took pictures of the dead bodies of the Covenant that had attacked us during the battle with the Hunters. Their symbols had the symbol of a white skull on their shoulders as well. My intel reports that all Elites wear the same symbol on their armor to honor their Prophets and the Gods. Any who dare defy this religious act are usually punished and executed."

" So what are you saying?" asked the Chief.

" Well, I've done my history homework and I've concluded that the Special Operations sector of the Covenant was not created until their discovery of Halo. So, unless I'm very mistaken I think we've just battled the same Covenant that we had first fought in space. They must have gotten caught in the Kerr hole as well."

" Great!" exclaimed the Admiral. " Now we've got two different Covenant forces attacking us! SIFT!"

" Uh…Admiral," inquired the Sergeant. " In all due respect, what in howitzers is a SIFT?

"Shit Is Flying Today," muttered the Admiral. " And I am thoroughly sick of it."

" Then why did they attack the Hunters as well?" asked the Spartan. " Those are their allies."

" Spec Ops is a division in which they must put all loyalties aside to accomplish the most dangerous missions. They must have determined the Hunters as an obstacle when they were attempting to kill us."

" That must have explained why the grunts had fuel rod cannons. The Covenant were only able to create these guns by modifying the structure of the Hunter's. And in this time, they hadn't even tamed them yet," concluded the Master Chief.

" Oh joy…," muttered the Sergeant as he grabbed a cigar from his pocket.

" If those Covenant break down that gate, we're gonna be in the same position we were in before we got into this fortress," muttered the Admiral. " I say we head into that construct and prepare an opposable defensive position. Sergeant, you're in charge of the organization."

" Yes admiral," saluted Hanson. He turned to the soldiers and began barking orders. Vehicles hummed to life as marines began to head into the construct.

A large dome encircled most of the space made by the fortified walls. Droplet shaped and in various cool colors of blue and purple, the construct also had two large oval-shaped buildings connected to the sides of the long dome. Large vines wrapped themselves across the sides of the figure, yet it still had a shiny gleam to it as the sun shown on its surface. The Master Chief felt he had seen this object before, but couldn't seem to put his finger on it. The soldiers warily entered the compound.

The inside was humongous. A huge path made of dark metal branched into different rooms or ramps. The first two rooms seemed to a resting place for the inhabitants, rotted food stanching the small space. More rooms seemed to be a weapons storage due to the racks that lined the area. As the marines arrived at the middle part of the ship, mouths dropped and eyes bulged at the next room.

It was a large room, with monitors and controls spread through it. A huge chart hung on the wall with mold slowly crawling on its symbols. A huge window gave a view of the mountains beyond the ruins and had several cracks in it. Next to this view was a large platform, with a tall seat in the center. It too looked weared down and old, and the Master Chief felt another similar familiar feeling with this architect. The constant fighting for three days and with only an hour of sleep was getting to him.

" Scanning area…" said Toto as he emitted a faint blue light that began to flash over the ship and its object. Several minutes passed before the light disappeared and the A.I. broke away from its revere.

" The amount of vegetation and decay of the material shows that this base was built here quite a few centuries ago. I've also detected addition rooms below the surface, though the dirt and vegetation have amassed there to render it the passageways useless for mobility. It seems only to have its upper level intact."

As the marines wandered around looking at the various parts of the base the Master Chief wandered to a huge monitor that stood near the seat facing the window. As he glanced at it he noticed a small disk. He took it and wandered over to Toto, who was still scanning for any more areas of the base.

" Can you open this data?" he asked as he showed the dusty disk to the A.I. " I found it near the monitor near the center platform."

" Give me a sec," the A.I muttered and placed a thin concentrated blue beam on the disk. The beam moved back and forth as it slowly began to inspect the disk.

The Covenant had created their data disks specifically so that no other enemy would be able to open its contents. They had meshed the disk with active crystals and placed cooling slots in their main computers to cool the crystals and prevent its destruction. Other computers did not know the formula or order of the slots and did not have these "cooling" systems. If the disk was entered into the computer the heat from the main vent would irritate the crystals and cause the computer to implode. These "blue eyes" were focused scanners that allowed an A.I to scan a small file without having to place the data into a computer and possibly corrupting its data. The "eyes" could get an overall view of the type of information and the format that the file had taken. However, due to the amount of interface and "blocks" that were incorporated in the disk it was extremely difficult for the A.I to download the whole file without consequences.

" It's seems to be a documented holograph," said Toto as he gave the disk a few more checks. " It's format is in recording so it shouldn't be that hard for me to open it. Just give me a few…"

The Master Chief snatched the disk abruptly and inserted it into the computer on the platform. Toto gave a yell as the disk disappeared into the slot.

" Master Chief! That computer may not have the necessary slots to cushion the crystals of the disk! If you have just given me a bit more time…"

" We don't have time," muttered the Spartan as he watched the monitor flick on. Something was nagging at him and his groggy brain was beginning to wake from the sudden adrenaline. There was something not right in this building…

The Monitor showed the face of an old aging alien wearing white ceremonial robes and with a decorative headdress. It had black beady eyes and its voice was hoarse as it began to speak. In English.

" The Forerunners have brought me the Prophets a valuable gift," it croaked. " A spaceship filled with their technology and weapons landed on High Charity during the day of the Harvest."

The group stood in awe at the hologram of this creature. How was an alien able to speak in their home language?

" Good gravy," said Robert, " Is this some prank? Maybe its just a madman in his Halloween costume or something."

" As the Prophets searched the ship for more of its gifts I came upon a case that held green organisms with tentacles. Being in such a high security restraint, I knew that this species could be used for our benefit for our Holy Crusade. The other Prophets thought otherwise. They destroyed what could have been our greatest weapon in our great journey for purging."

The screen flicked for an instant, and suddenly changed to show a huge Covenant vessel docked near an old ruin. The ruins seemed more sturdy and intact, due to the lack of vegetation and the color that still showed on some of the walls.

" I drove the ship in secret to the ancient city of the Sangheli before they had joined our ranks. Unfortunately, due to some problem with the steering mechanism, I was unable to land the craft safely and crashed the ship into the middle of the ruins. However, this accident turned into a boom as I later learned how the ship's shields would be useful."

" I started my experiments in that ship. They were fascinating, and horrible. Faithful Elites and forced grunts died by this new parasite as it battled over the warrior's plasma guns and sucked the life from their limbs."

Hazy pictures on the projector displayed Elites and grunts with mangled bodies and faces that were contorted with pain. The Master Chief winced as flashes of moving bodies with strewn tentacles leaping at him and the fate of the former Captain Keyes leaped in his mind.

" I read the journal entries of how the Forerunners had discovered these vile beings during one of their trips near a planet called Threshold. They had escaped the organisms and captured one for examination. Unfortunately their bodies had disappeared during the crash. They had given the species a name. They called them the Flood."

" Augh!" cried the Spartan as he grasped his head. The memories of his experiences on Halo continued to pound at him as shook with agitation.

" Master Chief," exclaimed the Admiral. " What's wrong?"

Everyone stood watching the Spartan tremble. No one had ever seen a Spartan seemingly cower at the mention of an enemies name. It did bode well with their current situation.

Suddenly the Spartan stood up. His visor hid his face, but his voice once again changed into the monotonous and calm voice of Master Chief.

" I remember," he said. " This is the Covenant ship that the Prophet had driven. We are in the ruins of the Elite city. And the Flood are in here with us."

None of the group had ever seen the flood since no one but the Master Chief had survived the explosion on Halo. The pictures of the victims however, drew fear from each of the hardened marines. Even Sergeant Hanson was nervously chewing on his cigar as he heard the news.

Thunk.

" What the hell?" muttered Hanson. Immediately following his comment was the sound of movement below them. A faint sound of squishing and gurgling could be heard underneath the ship's floors.

" I hate bugs," muttered Chris as he cocked his rifle's bolt back. " and I especially hate bugs who bite back."

" Form a defensive perimeter behind the monitors!" yelled the Sergeant. " It's time to rock and roll!"

Guns cocked and magazines were slid into rifles as the marines prepared for the battle ahead. Pounding could be heard below them as the sound of movement passed under their feet and slowly headed towards the walls. Toward the air vents near the door.

" Oh shit." whispered the Master Chief softly to himself.


	13. A RECAP AND ANALYSIS FOR THE CONFUSED

RECAP KIDS

Ok, so this what's happening so far for those who are either confused, slow readers, slow minded, or just stupid (j/k)

The Party of ships have accidentally escaped a battle with the Covenant through a Kerr Hole. Sort of like a black hole, except its theory is that you can pass through different dimensions or time while remaining intact (usually). They meet and find the Hunters and get them on their side.

Now, most people are like " Uh, aren't the Hunters from another planet who got incorporated into the Covenant? Well, they are, except no one has ever told HOW they were incorporated. My story implies that the Prophets live on a transit world, where their planet seems to be a sort of link in their part of the galaxy. This is a could explanation for their discovery of the Forerunners and the other species that make up the Covenant. You can also say that the Prophets used the Fore runner technology to create the portals. Both theories are possible, and I didn't exactly prove either one ( I think).

Master Chief now has gold armor, a sword and he will get some other token that will prove him as a real Spartan. As you know, Spartans were the Greek warriors who held off thousands of soldiers with only a few warriors. Master Chief's new additions to his arsenal symbolize him as one of the great warriors of the Greek legends.

In addition, this story also shows the emotional and mental stress that is plaguing the Spartan. The loss of the his fellow Spartans on Reach and the deaths of hundreds of marines on Halo left a huge scar that is shown in his dreams and his later actions. I wanted to convey that Master Chief, John, is still human and isn't just some born killing machine. Also, during his battles when he is fighting the Covenant, he expresses his anger and changed demeanor in his language. Those who play the halo game know that he doesn't swear in the open for marines or viewers. He only expresses this "profanity" in front of his enemies ( well, sometimes)

What's funny is that this whole story happens with present marines in a past Covenant world. Now, I'm going to hint a little that the ending MIGHT seems a bit bad to some of you. But I'm also going to hint that if you look at it from the right perspective, it could have a significant effect on the Master Chief's actions later on…

Peace out. And play team skirmish on XBOX LIVE. I am a lv. 12 and growing. HEDNOOB…head of the newbs


	14. The Escape

Ch. 13 The Forced Escape 

The panels of the inconspicuous vents blasted forth as a wave of Flood swarmed towards the soldiers. Millions of the small green round-shaped monsters crawled as their tentacles flew into the air, ready to latch onto any victim.

" Open fire!" roared Hanson.

The sound of gunfire was deafening as a horde of bullets blasted into the Flood. The green plasma balls from the Hunters slammed into the enemies. Hundreds fell, but more continued to crawl out from the ventilation shafts. The distance was rapidly closing between the two adversaries.

" Lob some grenades!" roared the Sergeant. Pins were pulled as grenades flew into the vents where the Flood was venturing out from. Explosions echoed into the tunnels as green gore flew onto the firing Marines. For several seconds the Marines had the upper hand as they cut down the remaining flood. The Hunters began to squash groups of the disgusting parasite with their shields while stomping on the survivors.

Suddenly another wave of Flood emerged from the vent. Just as the Sergeant ordered to put suppression fire on the mob the chair in the center platform burst from its place and another wave of Flood burst from the hole. The huge wave immediately cut through the middle of the group and began to attack the marines and Hunters. Marines screamed as they were pierced by the needles of the small foes while Hunters slowly began to fall as they were penetrated in all their weak spots.

The Master Chief realized that the Flood were not mindlessly attacking them. The first attack had just been a diversion to spread the marines through out the room so that a second force could congregate under the chair and rush the group. It's goal had been to spit the force in half and it succeeded immensely. The Master Chief, Sergeant and a few Hunters and Hell-jumpers were divided from the Admiral and most of the main group . The flood slowly began to tighten their rings around the two groups.

The Admiral and his main group had been pushed against the window of the control room and were attempting vainly to hold back the unstoppable waves of Flood. The Master Chief and his group were opposite from the vents, a few yards from the door.

The Spartan could have charged through the small wall of Flood and broken through but he had an obligation. He had to bring the whole team with him. He began to concentrate his fire on the Flood near the other group as his SMG's vibrated in his hand. Yet, every Flood that he took down it seemed that two would take its place. Both groups were slowly losing maneuvering room as their circle tightened.

Chris and Robert were back to back firing at the incoming wave. Just as Chris's Battle rifle clicked empty, he heard a scream behind. Pivoting quickly, he saw one of the flood creatures latched on to Robert's arm. It's tentacles wrapped around the shirt sleeve as it sent its needle penetrating into his arm. As Robert screamed, Chris scrambled forward and yanked the creature off. He took out his SMG and found a stray plasma rifle on the ground. Chris wielded the two weapons onto the enemy, spraying the mixed combination of plasma and bullets on the Flood. He stood in front of Robert, who had a huge gash along his arm from the "sting" and was bleeding profusely. He still managed to fire his battle rifle into the fray and score a few kills.

Suddenly, the Admiral shouted a incoherent order that the Spartan could not hear. The group under the Admiral's command suddenly switched firing targets and began to hose the Flood that were eating at the Spartan's flank. He instantly realized what they wre doing.

" I can't leave anyone here!" he yelled in his COM as he dropped his empty machine guns and switched to his sword. " So don't waste your time trying to help us."

He proceeded to vigorously slash at the Flood that had began to grab his heels. Popping was heard as the plasma sword cut through dozens of the balloon-like Flood.

" Master Chief, I have given you a direct order to retreat! Do not make me waste the lives and ammunition of my team! You are the last hope for us to accomplish this mission! Go find and destroy the Covenant!"

The Spartan flinched. He could not disobey a direct order from a higher ranked official during a combat situation. Yet, he couldn't leave the lives of such brave men into the hands of the mindless Flood. His years of training and discipline forced the decision upon.

Mission success above all else. Everything is expendable.

" Soldiers! We're getting out of this hell hole! I want every marine, Hell-jumper and Hunter to focus their fire near the radius of the door and let loose all their ammunition. We will rush the remaining forces and break out of here!"

" But Chief! What about the other…"

" Just do as I say! On my command we put suppression fire! On my mark…1,2…FIRE!

Plasma and bullets crashed near the doorway as hundred of Flood were eliminated. A small pathway was cut through the dying parasites as they attempted to survive the incoming attack.

" Charge!" yelled the Master Chief.

And the Master Chief did the one thing that he had never done during a battle in over thirty years.

He ran.


	15. The Horror Unleashed

**Ch. 14 The Horror Unleased**

Note: (at the fanfic Oscars)

Speaker: And the winner of the best fanfic goes to…(uses his plasma sword to open the envelope) Admiral Toto for " The Breaking Point of Time!"

Loud applause and whistles as the handsome Toto walks onto the stage 

Toto: Thank yup thank yup its an honor ( he points at the trophy of master chief whacking a grunt) of getting this trophy after such hardwork and PURE dedication. There are a few people I would like to thank.

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: my fans

Toto: and the people who wrote reviews, my fans

Loud screaming and applause at such a touching and meaningful speech 

Toto: Thanks to these people, I have been giving the drive, the motivation, the pure will, to continue writing this story, knowing that you people are there to support me and give me credit for work that I had at first deemed " boring". Thanks a lot, I will continue writing for you all, and continue to play the part as **the entertainer**.

Halo theme plays and Toto walks off stage victorious 

The Elite gave an audible sigh.

With the control panel destroyed by the golden warrior the Elite had been forced to resort to getting a green Elite to open the Gate. The green Elite was using a handheld monitor to crack down on the Gate's defenses and permit them passage.

The Green Elite was a technician that worked closely with the Engineers to produce, fix and modify ships and weapons. It rarely participated in battles, though it was one of the best marksman with the Carbine. They mostly worked on ships or near intel bases, where they also ran the computers and built the defense weapons of the Covenant. It also knew the layout of the entire city, the city of the Sanghelei.

This grand city had been the home of the Sanghelei for centuries. The Sanghelei were dangerous predators that used their quick reflexes and strength to catch prey. Before they wore armor, each Sangheli's position in the hierachical order was based on his kills during hunts, his combat strength against other Sanghelei and his knowledge. These intelligent aliens lived and worked together in their city until the Prophets had come. The two species had fought for years, the Sanghelei never willing to succumb to the Prophet's will. However, they were no match against the psychic and energy powers of the Prophets and were forced to serve them. The Prophets in turn gave them new armor and weapons to increase their strength and endurance. They slowly brainwashed the Elites into believing of their God and the Holy Crusade that they had to undertake.

" It is done," muttered the green Elite as he stepped back. The Gate creaked as it slowly began to open.

" Elites! Draw your swords and head to the front line. I want grunts with the Fuel Rod cannons in the back to give supporting fire and the others to be behind an Elite and…"

Suddenly, out from the gap of the Gate sprinted the humans and Hunters. There backs were to the Spec ops team as the running group continued to fire at something behind them.

Before the Spec ops commander could order the team to fire, one of the humans roared to them, " Run you bastards, run!"

Behind the humans followed a few of their vehicles. Warthogs roared by the running marines, spewing bullets as it barely squeezed through the gap of the gate. The huge bellowing monsters in wheels fired their huge shells into the unseen enemy.

The Elite was so baffled at this sudden statement that he had forgotten to give the command. His team also seem baffled by the statement and a few grunts gave nervous squeaks. His confusion soon turned to horror as the thing that had been pursuing the humans came out from the city.

Small green creatures poured in waves toward the group. The tanks that had been steadily firing into the waves of the organisms stopped as the infestation crawled into the cockpit and killed the drivers. Marines tripped and screamed in agony as the flood of green overwhelmed them. Even the mighty Hunters were toppled by this force.

The marines on foot were picked up by the Warthogs as the vehicles passed by to cover the wounded. The overfilled vehicles put on a burst of speed as they roared away from the battlefield.

The Covenant were left with the infestation and were forced to battle it as it diverted its attention to them. Plasma bolts carved into the Flood as balls of the compacted plasma obliterated hundreds of the balloon-shaped creatures. The Elites swiped and slashed at the incoming wave, a few falling as a few of the creatures dodged his blows and grabbed on to his ankles. Grunts ran in circles screaming as they attempted to extract the parasites from their heads. The firepower of the team slowly decreased as each team member slowly was devoured by the small monsters.

Suddenly, the Flood stopped pouring from the city. The team rounded up the remainder of the enemy and blasted them with their plasma rifles.

The Elite leader surveyed the battle, or more like the massacre. Bodies of humans, Hunters and Covenant littered the ground that had turned green from the dead parasites. Plasma marks decorated the terrain with black scorch marks with miniature craters of the plasma grenades. Strangely, none of the corpses had any of their blood pouring from their bodies though they were slowly turning green. The Elite had a bad feeling about this change.

Just as the black Elite was about to order his team to retreat, the bodies of both humans, Hunters and Covenant rose to life. The mutant forms of the humans and Elites were of the same height as their former selves, though they had tentacles spewing from their chest and arms. Their faces had fused with their body to make one huge walking blob with tentacles that waved them menacingly. Even the corpses from the previous battle rose as mutilated forms.

The Hunters were a different matter. The huge armored aliens had now become even taller as humongous tentacles burst from their arms. The other arm carried the shield, which was unscarred and still a lethal weapon. The spines on their backs had lengthened to their fullest extent as juices dripped from the sharp points.

The Elite knew that their situation was hopeless as he poured fire on the nearest parasitic Hunter. His team opened fire as well and attempted to bring down the army that had been reborn. Screams echoed through the forest and city as grunts and Elites were impaled or beheaded by the waving tentacles.

Just as he was about to switch to his plasma sword, two combat forms of Elites and a human charged towards him. He slashed at the first two with lunges and uppercuts, slicing through the green gore as his sword sizzled. Just as he was about to turn to his enemy he felt a heavy shield slam down on his head. He felt neck snap, and waited for his journey to the Holy place.


	16. The Breaking Point

**Ch. 15 Breaking Point**

The Warthogs parked near the a lake that flowed down the grassy terrain towards a cliff ahead, where it cascaded into a crystal clear pool surrounded by trees. As soon as the marines got out they began to bomb the Master Chief with questions.

" Why did we leave our guys there?"

" What the hell were you thinking Chief?"

" We should have stayed to help them!"

" Listen soldiers!" yelled the Master Chief. " I had no choice. I had a direct order from the Admiral to evacuate from the ruins and bring you all to safety. I cannot disobey a direct order from a superior officer."

All the marines looked ashen-faced as they heard this statement. The military discipline that they had been trained into them for so long clashed with the morals of leaving their comrades behind. The Master Chief felt sick. He had left so many good men…

Chris walked out from the group of soldiers and confronted the Spartan.

"So, the great Spartan thinks that because of the Admiral's little statement he now has an excuse to run off from the fight. Now your safe and alive enough to show the rest of the world that you're still invincible right?"

He stood inches from the Master Chief's visor. A steady buzzing filled the Spartan's head as his muscles tensed.

"So now we see the truth, don't we Spartan? You look good in your armor and you show off your medals and crap, but in real fight when real men are in danger, you walk out of them? This is what I think of you!"

He spat right on the Spartan's visor. The Master Chief wiped the spittle from his vision and continued to stare at the Hell-jumper. His vision blurred as anger built up from inside. He was slightly shaking and felt the vein on his neck throb as his hands tightened.

"I guess that answers my question of how you probably survived Reach and Halo," Chris suddenly said. "You probably ditched the marines and your freakish friends to save your own…"

It happened it a flash. The Spartan's fist seemed to involuntarily collide with the Hell-jumper's gut. Chris reeled over, face wide in surprise as he attempted to recover from the sudden blow. Without pausing the Master Chief grabbed the Hell-jumper's throat and single-handedly lifted him in the air. With the other hand he ignited the plasma sword near his belt and aimed it at Chris's neck.

The other Hell-jumpers immediately brought out their Battle Rifles and aimed at the Spartan. He turned around to face the hostile soldiers.

" It will take you approximately six seconds before your shots penetrate through both my gold armor and shield. By that time this bastard's throat will be cut and I will have beheaded all five of you in two lunges. I would advise against your impulsive actions."

Knowing that the Master Chief's words rang true and realizing how serious and dangerous he was they slowly leveled their weapons. Robert was sobbing as he attempted to convince the Master Chief to release the held Hell-Jumper.

The gagging persisted as the Hell-jumper's lack of oxygen brought him closer to his demise. He squirmed and kicked but the Spartan held him at an arm's length away.

" I've had to put up with your shit every since I got into this mess," he snarled. " I saw countless numbers of brave men and women fight and die on Reach and Halo. I saw countless numbers of boys younger than seventeen get shot in the head by plasma bolts and crushed by an Elite's melee. Those "freaks" that you call, saved countless lives on countless planets so that they could go on more countless missions and get scorned by countless bastards like you!"

His rage screamed at his muscles to impale the Hell-jumper on the sword. He raised it and stared at Chris. And dropped his plasma sword.

He didn't see what he expected to see. He didn't see fear, hate, despair or anguish on the face of the Hell-jumper. He only saw sadness that was altered by stubbornness on the tough face.

He instantly released Chris. The Hell-jumper fell to the ground, breathing sharply as he obtained the oxygen that had been taken away from him in those few precious seconds. The Master Chief slowly walked over to the stream.

" Make camp and start a fire," said the Sergeant quietly. " Reload the bullet belts for the Warthogs as well. We've got a long day tomorrow."

The Sergeant walked over to the Master Chief, who had knelt by the flowing water and was staring at it. He sat near him and took out a cigar.

" You alright Chief?" he asked as he lit the cigar with his engraved zippo.

" Shouldn't you be asking the Hell-jumper that sir?"

" That bastard deserved it. I'm surprised you held out that long against his taunts."

The Master Chief continued to stare at the stream. Several minutes passed before he spoke.

" It wasn't him I was mad at, " the Spartan said gruffly. " He just added a little more gas to the roaring fire that was inside of me for so long. I've seen too many people die Hanson, and I'm tired of it. I see the Flood in my nightmares every night. Every nightmare I recap an event when I had to fight those…things and barely survive. I never wanted to see those parasites again. Now, after losing everyone on Halo, I've lost even more marines on this mission that's pits us against higher odds."

" Forgive me for saying," said the Sergeant. " But don't you Spartans specialize against increasing odds? I've heard you killed armies with just ten of you at a time."

" That was in the past. Now, I've lost all my teammates and the odds just keep coming. There's a certain physical and mental limit to continuously defy death and live. I think I've just about hit my peak."

" Master Chief, as one of your greatest admirers and fans of this century, please allow me to offer one answer to your predictament."

The Master Chief looked at the Sergeant, wondering what possible advice a marine could give one of the strongest soldiers on Earth.

" Stop being a wuss."

The Master Chief, sure that he was going to get a lecture or some philosophical discussion, was taken aback by the comment.

" Wha-?"

" Master Chief, I know you've been through hell and back, but do you honestly think you're the only one who just lost a bunch of pals and then lost even more during this war?"

The Spartan was silent as he contemplated these words.

" I was part of the 7th battalion when we were sent Colony Reap to fend off an invasion from the Covenant. Back then, they didn't gas planets or colonies, they merely attacked in large numbers to secure the area and use it for themselves. That was until they discovered out superiority on the ground," he said with a hint of pride.

" Well, we landed, and we followed the usual procedure of following the enemy and then attacking them with boxed tactics. We had warthogs gunners, snipers and we even were able to plant explosives near their base. Our stationary machine guns mowed down waves of the bastards and our victory was assured. Until the Brutes showed up…"

" They seemed invincible to our bullets. Few fell under our heavy fire, and the rest began to tear my battalion apart. I saw friends I had known of years get instantly torn to pieces by the beasts while some had their skulls crushed by their fists. Our snipers were the ones who took them all down, but not before more than two-thirds of my group had been KIA. Then, as we began to make a retreat to call in reinforcements, all our snipers died in exactly three seconds."

" Camouflaged Elites snuck up behind them and slit their throats. With no cover fire, we again were put under heavy fire by the remaining Covenant force. I was able to grab a few wounded and throw them onto a Warthog and drive outta there. I was the only vehicle that ever left that battle. Only two of the wounded survived, and guess who was one of them?"

The Master Chief knew the answer even before the name formed on the Sergeant's lips.

" Chris Onfrey. That soldier was part of the Hell-jumper unit that had assisted us. He had gunned down over fifty of the freaks with a machine gun before he had gotten hit by three plasma bursts. He still managed to prime and toss a grenade at the group of Elite and Jackals chasing me, giving me the ample time to get to the Warthog and pick up the wounded. He basically saved my life that day."

" Master Chief, just to shorten up an old man's blabbing, let me tell you something. You can't mope over the deaths in the past. That just hurts you more in the future. I've been down that road, and it only makes you lose even more men cause you're so stuck in the past. Suck it up, and save the men of today and tomorrow, not of yesterday."

The Sergeant got up and left the Spartan pondering his words. How could he be such a fool? People were dying and suffering in this war, and he had only managed to think of himself the whole time. He did not feel like Spartan 117, Master Chief. He felt like John, the man who was constantly trapped in his nightmares.

His gold armor glowed as the organisms felt a vigorous energy course through him. It wasn't vengeance, or anger, it felt more like the need to deal out justice against the foes who were annihilating his people. His comrades.


End file.
